Pakistan demanded on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia take efforts to assist the return of its workers who have been stranded in the country due to Riyadh’s Covid-19 restrictions.
In separate talks with visiting Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi raised the problem.
The Saudi top diplomat paid a visit to Pakistan as a follow-up to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Riyadh in May of this year.
Apart from other topics, one of the agenda items discussed during the Saudi foreign minister’s meeting with Pakistani authorities was the return of Pakistani employees to Saudi Arabia as soon as possible.
Many Pakistanis returned home as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but they were unable to return to the kingdom due to travel restrictions imposed by Riyadh.
Foreign Minister Qureshi stated at a joint press conference with his Saudi counterpart that over 400,000 Pakistanis have been waiting for travel restrictions to be lifted so they can return to work in the Kingdom.
Following the PM’s meeting with the Saudi minister, an official handout issued by the PM’s office stated, “Noting the difficulties faced by Pakistani nationals due to Covid-related travel restrictions, the prime minister underlined the importance of timely measures to facilitate their return to Saudi Arabia.”
Following the PM’s meeting with the Saudi minister, an official handout issued by the PM’s office stated, “Noting the difficulties faced by Pakistani nationals due to Covid-related travel restrictions, the prime minister underlined the importance of timely measures to facilitate their return to Saudi Arabia.”
