Facilitation centre set up for jobless Pakistanis stranded in Saudi Arabia

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s embassy in Riyadh has set up a special facilitation centre and fund for jobless Pakistani labourers stranded without wages in Saudi Arabia, the prime minister's office said on Tuesday.

Thousands of jobless Pakistanis, Indians, and Filipinos are stranded and destitute in the Kingdom after a plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs.

According to a spokesman for the Prime Minister House, the special centre would provide aid, food, medicine and shelter for the stranded Pakistani nationals.

"The (Pakistani) embassy has further informed that the Saudi King has issued a decree for urgent payment of dues to workers by the concerned," the office of the prime minister said.

The spokesman said the prime minister has issued directions for the assistance and complaint resolution of the labourers in Saudi Arabia.

"We stand by our hardworking workers who are away from their homeland to earn a living for their families. They are our strength and pride. We will help them out in all possible ways," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was quoted as saying.

On July 29, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development was briefed about 450 Pakistani workers facing financial problems in the Dammam area of Saudi Arabia.

The committee meeting at the Parliament House noted that overseas Pakistanis were facing severe financial problems as the company that hired them did not pay them salaries for the last several months.

Foreign Affairs Additional Secretary Tasawar Khan had told the committee that the Pakistan’s embassy in Riyadh was in contact with the workers. He had said that the government of Saudia Arabia had assured of clearance of Pakistani workers' dues.

Earlier it was reported that more than 1.6 million Pakistanis had proceeded to Saudi Arabia during 2011-15 for employment purposes, making the country the largest market for Pakistani workers across the world.

According to an official of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, overall 49.9 percent (1.6 million) workers had gone to Saudi Arabia during the stated period.

Thousands stranded and destitute

The crisis was struck by a plunge in oil prices sparking layoffs in the construction sector, leaving thousands of Asians, including Indians and Filipinos, stranded and destitute in the Kingdom.

AFP adds: Some Filipinos are forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, said Garry Martinez, chairman of the Migrante group which works for the millions of Filipino overseas workers worldwide.

"Some of them have nothing to eat and have to go through the garbage for food," said Martinez.

India said Monday it was negotiating with Saudi authorities to repatriate thousands of its own nationals after they lost their jobs, leaving them with no money to return home.

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament in New Delhi she was sending a junior minister to Riyadh after reports that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve.

Indians are among millions of poor Asians working in the Gulf states, where human rights groups say many suffer exploitation and abuses including non-payment of wages.

In Manila, Migrante coordinator Gilbert Saludo – who returned from Saudi Arabia last month after two years working there – said as many as 20,000 Filipinos could be affected.

Saludo said that while Manila had extended financial aid to them so far, it was not clear how long this aid could last.

The labour problem appeared likely to worsen, he added.

"It will get much worse because so much of the income of Saudi Arabia comes from oil... so their budget for infrastructure and other projects will not be met and more people will be affected," Saludo told AFP.

The Philippine Labour Department said Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello had visited Saudi Arabia last month to address the problem but would not elaborate.

The Indian consulate in Jeddah has been providing free food for its nationals since their plight came to light last week but repatriation has been complicated by restrictive labour regulations.

Swaraj cited a Saudi requirement that workers provide a no-objection certificate from their employers before they can leave the country.

In Manila, the Migrante officials also said Filipinos could not leave because they lacked proper permits or were still awaiting months of back pay.

Nearly three million Indians live and work in Saudi Arabia, according to the foreign ministry, one of the largest populations outside of India.