Sir, the story that the local authorities in the Kingdom refused to accept almost 200 India passports was quite distressing. However, it is good to hear that the authorities from both sides have resolved the issue, giving a big sigh of relief to the Indian expatriates living in the Kingdom.
The Saudi refusal to accept new Indian passports had caused unease among the expats as they were already reeling from the Nitaqat crackdown. The reason for the misunderstanding over the new passport was the change in passport design.
Earlier, the photo on an Indian passport was on the second page but in the new passport it is on the third page. I think the Indian authorities should have been conveyed to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the change before hand to avoid any confusion over the matter.
It is a surprising that how come the Indian authorities did not consider this aspect important. — Anees Lokhande, Alkhobar
Indian passport row
