Faiz Al-Najdi Saudi Gazette RIYADH — Pakistan's Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan has asked his compatriots to abide by the Kingdom's regulations on Haj and Umrah and warned them against overstaying visas after performing the religious rituals. Khan was addressing Pakistani job seekers at a job fair organized by the embassy in Riyadh on Thursday. “It is illegal to overstay Umrah and Haj visas and the Saudi authorities would come down heavily on all such violators,” he said. Khan said there are plenty of job opportunities, but it needs hard work and continuous scouting. “Do not sit at home and expect jobs to arrive in a platter. It is very important that you take this issue seriously and make some effort on your own. The embassy is there to help you," the ambassador assured. Khan said the purpose of these job fairs is to extend assistance to undocumented Pakistanis to correct their legal status in the Kingdom. “My mission is to see to it that every Pakistani here is able to regularize his job status and that no Pakistani is forced to leave on final exit against his will," he added. Khan said more such job fairs are planned in Jeddah, Taif and Madinah, and added that the extension of the grace period "came as a blessing and all Pakistanis should make best use of it." Answering a query, the ambassador said quoting statistics provided by Saudi Ministry of Labor, about 250,000 Pakistanis were able to correct their residency and labor status during the amnesty period. Mueenuddin Memon, community welfare attaché, said this job fair held at the Pakistan International School (PISR) in Nasiriyah was the third in a row in Riyadh. “We are satisfied as more than 50 companies were present with their agents offering hundreds of jobs in all trades and disciplines. We are also happy about the turnout," he said. "According to a rough estimate, close to 2,000 Pakistanis visited the stalls." Syed Hammad Abid, community welfare attaché, said another job fair is scheduled in Jubail next Thursday, followed by a similar one in Al-Khobar on Friday. Both fairs will be held at the respective Pakistan schools between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Speaking to Saudi Gazette, PISR Principal Mian Iqbal and School Management Council Chairman Tariq Mahmood attributed the success of the job fair to the efforts of the ambassador and the embassy staff as well as the volunteers, including PISR teachers and students.
