Pakistan's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Muhammad Naeem Khan said from May to November 3 at least 0.8 million Pakistanis legalise their status to work in Saudi Arabia for which Pakistan embassy worked day and night for the past six months. Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan told BBC that there are 1.5 Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia out of which 54,000 were deported after they failed to legalise their status in Saudi Arabia till November 3.
"There is a fear of imprisonment and deporting of thousands of Pakistanis in the Kingdom," Naeem said. These Pakistanis have been facing difficulties after the start of a drive against illegal immigrants in the Kingdom. Saudi authorities have sent tens of thousands of illegal residents from Asian and African countries to their homes. The drive was started after an Amnesty Scheme for the immigrants to get the legalised status in the Kingdom.
However, most of the Pakistanis, about 800,000, got the benefit of the scheme and got themselves registered legally there. Meanwhile, Makkah police have detained 4,060 illegal workers following the government crackdown on visa and residency violators over the past 10 days. Spokesman Colonel Abdulmohsin Al-Maiman told Arab News that the illegal workers were handed over to the deportation center for their final exit to their home countries.