ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia has returned to the country while orders have been issued to six other officers of the embassy in Riyadh to return over complaints by the Pakistani community in the kingdom, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday.
Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday ordered a “full-scale” inquiry against the ambassador in Riyadh, Raja Ali Ejaz, for “failing” to adequately take care of the Pakistani workforce in Saudi Arabia.
“I say this with sorrow that our embassy, the way they should appreciate these hardworking people, who put their sweat and blood into their work, and I know that these poor people sometimes work 12 hours a day, do extra shifts, save money to send to their families,” the prime minister said in his address at the launch of Roshan Digital incentives for expatriates.
“I found out that in Saudi Arabia, our embassy, did not give them the service, the way they should have taken care of our labor in Saudi, they did not do that.
On my directive, a high-powered investigation is underway to probe the ambassador and staff on the complaints of mistreatment meted out to Pakistan nationals.”
The prime minister expressed strong displeasure over the reports of the embassy staffers minting money from workers. The maximum staff at the embassy has been recalled, he announced.
He also warned of strict action against those held responsible for negligence. “It is the duty of [our] foreign missions to extend best possible services to Pakistan nationals, particularly to labourers and workers,” he said.
Imran in particular acknowledged the services of working Pakistan nationals living abroad in “tough conditions and sending their hard-earned money” to their families back home.
“These workers deserve our utmost respect and the government will not spare anyone behaving with them wrongly,” he said.
BILAL AKBAR APPOINTED NEW ENVOY:
Pakistan’s new Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Lt Gen (r) Bilal Akbar presented his credentials to Saudi authorities on Thursday.
“H.E. Lt. General (R) Bilal Akbar, Ambassador of Pakistan presented today a copy of his credentials to H.E. Mr. Mashari bin Ali bin Naheet, Chief of Protocol in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KSA,” the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh said in a statement.
Akbar, who retired from the military last month, replaced Raja Ali Ejaz, a career diplomat, who was serving in Riyadh from January 2019. He arrived in Riyadh on Sunday to assume new responsibilities.
Prior to his appointment, the new ambassador had served at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi as chief of general staff, which is considered one of the key positions in the army.
Akbar’s new role comes in the wake of an inquiry into the previous ambassador and other Riyadh mission officials over what Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday was their failure to adequately take care of Pakistani workers based in Saudi Arabia. There are over two million Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia.
