A dejected Pakistani sexagenarian is seeking help from the Saudi government because he is struggling to get the necessary legal status to work, travel and support his familyChaudhry Liaqat Hussain, 63, said he first received an iqama (residence permit) in 1981, when he arrived in the Kingdom as a young Pakistani worker on a warehouse foreman visa. But after a few years, according to him, he started having difficulties. His woes stem from the closure of his file at the Ministry of Interior (MOI) 20 years ago. He said the MOI had also once incorrectly listed him as “wanted”. This landed him in jail three times for periods ranging from 10 days to a few months in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Hussain said he failed to understand why his name featured on the MOI's “wanted list” which was only cleared by the authorities in 2007. Hussain, who ran a small business in Riyadh under the sponsorship of his Bahraini wife from 1984 to 1995, said the closure of his file restricts him from seeking gainful employment, travel within the Kingdom and bars him from getting exit and re-entry visas. He said he has not been able to go home to Pakistan for the past 20 years. He said he wants the Saudi authorities to “help clear my name so that I can enjoy a normal life like any other foreign national living in this great country”. Hussain, a father of four grown-up children from two wives, first a Pakistani and then a Bahraini, said he was quite happy during the first few years of his stay in the Kingdom. He worked as warehouse foreman for three years at a company and was later joined by his Pakistani wife. In 1981, he married a Bahraini woman that allowed him to start his own business under the sponsorship of his wife. Under Saudi law, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nationals are permitted to do business in the Kingdom. However, he ran short of funds and borrowed some money from a fellow Pakistani. Consequently his business ran into trouble and he had to declare himself bankrupt. The person who lent him the money sued him in court. The court sentenced him to four years in jail because he had defaulted on his loan. When he was released from prison, he had nothing. He also lost his family. He said his Pakistani wife left with their children for Pakistan, while the relatives of his Bahraini wife took her to Al-Khobar, where she is living with their 22-year-old daughter. “I cannot go and see my wife and child in Al-Khobar because I don't have a legal residence permit,” Hussain said while showing his iqama, which expired some six years ago. When his name was cleared from the “wanted list” in 2007, he faced many tribulations for six years. Hussain said some well-wishers had advised him to use the Saudi amnesty to leave the Kingdom on an outpass issued by the Pakistani embassy. “I don't want to leave Saudi Arabia as an illegal resident because I have a sense of responsibility toward my Bahraini wife and daughter who are living in Al-Khobar,” he remarked. Legal proceedings are currently under way with court hearings being postponed to various different dates. Hussain said that over the past few years he has also approached the Riyadh Governorate, the National Society for Human Rights and the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh for help. He has also filed a case with Deewan-e-Muzalim, a Saudi court, where victims can file petitions after experiencing delays in their legal proceedings. Hussain said his self-respect never allowed him to borrow money for day-to-day expenses. He said he applied for jobs at a number of construction companies, which agreed to appoint him, and on different occasions, offered him work for several months. However, problems would arise when it was time for him to get paid, or have his sponsorship transferred. The transfer of sponsorship was not possible because he had lost his legal resident status. This also prevented him from withdrawing money from banks, said the destitute Hussain. “I earnestly appeal to the Saudi authorities to let me get out of this mess and avoid the risk of being apprehended by security officials each time I venture out even for the small chores of daily life,” Hussain said.
