RIYADH, 9 March 2003 — Osama Munir Choudhry is Pakistani but was born in Saudi Arabia. His family has been in the Kingdom for over 35 years, and has assimilated into the local culture.

Choudhry is concerned that children born to Pakistani-Saudi families are growing increasingly distanced from their Pakistani roots.

“They only speak Arabic,” he says. “They’ll lose their native tongue over time.”

He adds that this creates a language barrier between Pakistani Saudis and other Pakistanis.

Choudhry’s father moved to Saudi Arabia because of the benefits life here offered: Free education, job opportunities and a higher standard of living.

Saudi Arabia is home to roughly a million Pakistani expatriates. They hail from all parts of Pakistan and comprise several ethnic groups — including Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch and Muhajir.

According to the consular for community welfare at the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh, the Pakistani community is made up of people from all kinds of backgrounds.

“There are professionals such as doctors and IT experts as well as laborers and cab drivers,” he said.

Another official at the Pakistani Embassy said that most of the Pakistanis here are from Punjab and the North West Frontier Province, and that 95 percent of them are Muslim.

“Most of the Pakistani community are hardworking people, who have left their homes and dedicated themselves to the Kingdom,” he told Arab News. “As the birthplace of Islam, Saudi Arabia has great importance for the Pakistani people.”

Dr. Yasmin, who works at a local polyclinic in Riyadh, says that Pakistanis from related backgrounds and professions tend to stick together.

“In Pakistan we lived with our family, but here life is more centralized and lonely,” she said.

“Being separated from one’s family is perhaps the main negative aspect. Otherwise life here is very comfortable.”

Dr. Yasmin said that some Pakistani women consider it a burden to have to cover themselves up when they go outside the home.

“But I agree with those values,” she said, adding that she has no problem working as a medical doctor and adhering to her religious values and local traditions at the same time.

Emma Qureshi is in her final year of high school in Riyadh. She could not have learned as much about her religion anywhere else as she has living in Saudi Arabia, she says.

Qureshi was born in London and came to Saudi Arabia in 1991 with her family.

“I would have liked to live in Pakistan,” she said. “But now I think it would be really hard to adjust.”

She said that there are problems here as well, but not significant enough to affect her quality of life.

“I have a pretty good social life,” she said, adding that she tends to count her blessings.

Duraid Waqar Khan, an 11th grader who was born and raised in Riyadh, said that the worst part about living in the Kingdom is that there is no social life for teenage boys like himself.

“In Pakistan there’s much more to do,” he said.

The youth clubs and sports facilities in the Kingdom, he says, are usually expensive, or open to only a select group.

Though he plans to travel abroad and see “the real world,” Khan said he would prefer to settle down and raise a family in the Kingdom.

“I prefer life here because it’s peaceful,” he admitted.

Abdul Razzaq owns a small convenience store and has been in the Kingdom for 12 years.

He told Arab News that with his present income he can comfortably support both his immediate and extended families in Pakistan.

Abdul Razzaq said that his sponsor treated him well. However, that is not always the case. According to a source at the Pakistan Embassy, Pakistani workers coming to the Kingdom sometimes face problems — for instance their salaries may be withheld and not paid on time.

“Many Pakistanis have problems with their sponsors,” he said. “Some sponsors may have the employee put in jail on minor charges and the employee’s papers and passport may be retained. The courts may help but the legal proceedings are a very lengthy procedure, and the employee may languish in jail until a decision is reached or until the embassy comes to his aid.”

He added that most of the lower income groups are isolated from the larger Pakistani community.

“Most of the time they are just surviving.”

Duraid Waqar Khan also expressed concern over the division of the Pakistani community into small social groups and the vast differences that existed between them.

“We don’t know what someone else in the community is feeling, we don’t even know the plight of our neighbors, their problems, their needs,” he said.

Khan said that there is a need for greater interaction between the various social groups so that parts of the community will not be isolated from the rest. Such interaction, he argues, will also enable those who are able to help those in need — and thus strengthen the whole community.