PAKISTANI workers based in Saudi Arabia send home billions of dollars in remittances every year. But now, in their time of need, it appears that the state’s response to their problems has been inadequate. The stories emerging from the kingdom are harrowing, as accounts published in this newspaper on Tuesday illustrate.
Affected workers who spoke to this paper say they have not been paid for many months, while others complain that there have been days when they have gone without food and water. The workers’ troubles are, of course, linked to the slowdown in the Saudi economy; thousands of workers — including Pakistanis, Indians and Filipinos — mainly in the construction sector have been affected, as their employers have failed to pay their salaries.
The identity documents of some have expired and not been renewed, while in other cases the employers have taken away the workers’ documents. In Saudi Arabia, an expat being found without proper residency documents can mean dire consequences for him.
What is particularly disturbing is the fact that when some affected workers approached Pakistani missions in the kingdom for help, they were callously asked why they had come to work in Saudi Arabia in the first place. These accounts counter official claims that Pakistan is looking after its affected workers in the kingdom.
India, whose workers are in a similar situation, sent a junior minister to Saudi Arabia to look into the issue. If the crisis persists and Pakistani workers remain unpaid and stranded in the kingdom, Islamabad should dispatch a senior official to discuss the matter with Riyadh. The government must use its good offices with the Saudi government to ensure that the dues of these hardworking men are cleared by their employers.
Moreover, Pakistani missions in the kingdom must deal with the affected citizens with empathy and respect. The PML-N-led government is known to be close to Riyadh; it is time it used its influence to alleviate the suffering of Pakistani workers in the kingdom. http://www.dawn.com/news/1276504/stranded-workers
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