The ordeal of over 700 Pakistani workers who had been stranded in Saudi Arabia for over a year has ended following intervention by Riyadh Governor Khaled Bin Bandar.
MAPA Construction, a Riyadh-based Turkish company, recruited the labourers at the end of 2011. Some of them paid hefty sums to come to the country. After arriving they learned that their visas were fraudulent. The employees of the human resources department issued the visa, even though there were no actual jobs for the new employees. Since then, the workers were unable to work and unable to leave the country.
Pakistani Ambassador Naeem Khan had drawn the attention of the Riyadh governor to this case. Upon his directives, authorities agreed to address the issue. The stranded workers have been given three options: to transfer their sponsorships or to leave for Pakistan or continue to work for the same sponsor. A majority chose to transfer their sponsorships, according to Arab News.
Meanwhile, the remains of Dost Salay, a stranded Pakistani worker who died in a work-related accident in Hofuf, have been repatriated to Pakistan.
The Saudi authorities have formed a committee to investigate the case and arrested some officials from the company.
