Envoy’s plea: Let Pak expatriates change sponsors

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Muhammad Naeem Khan has urged the Saudi government not to deport Pakistani expatriates who have been found not working for their sponsors.
Speaking at a function here to mark Pakistan Day, the ambassador said such Pakistanis should be allowed to change their sponsors legally.
He said he has asked the Saudi authorities to inform the embassy about the Pakistanis who are brought to the deportation center so that the embassy could explore legal avenues to help them avoid deportation.
He said Pakistanis have contributed to the Kingdom’s development and that their cases should be treated with leniency.
The ambassador scotched rumors that thousands of Pakistanis have been arrested in the ongoing campaign against illegals and are awaiting deportation.
The community welfare officers of the embassy are in constant touch with the relevant Saudi authorities, and the number of Pakistanis at the deportation center and their status are known to us, Khan added.
He asked members of the Pakistan community not to believe in rumors and abide by the country’s law.
The Saudi government, he said, has the right to make amendments to its laws or take action to enforce its regulations and nobody should object to them.
Regarding the upcoming elections in Pakistan, the ambassador said he has received instructions from Islamabad to make arrangements for overseas Pakistanis’ voting. He urged Pakistanis to maintain discipline during the voting process.