A group of 22 Indian engineers, who have been struggling to return home for over 15 months, heaved a huge sigh of relief Thursday after their case was resolved following the intervention of the Riyadh Governorate. The first batch of nine engineers left for India on Thursday from King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh. Others will follow suit within the next week, as soon as their papers are processed after the Riyadh Governorate ordered their company to facilitate their departure. The Indian engineers who arrived in the Kingdom on work visas in December 2008 were stranded after their company refused to accept them as employees. Their dreams of an early departure from Saudi Arabia were shattered after the Labor Office in Riyadh declined to listen to their plea “since their case was under investigation for forged visas.” Instead, the Labor Office referred the case to the concerned Saudi authorities, namely the Passports Department and the Deportation Center. Since arriving in Riyadh, the Indian engineers have lived without legal documents, such as Iqamas (residence permits) and were afraid of being caught by the police. Their basic demand after the company's refusal to offer them employment was to return home on exit-only visas. But the company refused to send them back to India on the pretext of conducting investigations to find the culprits who reportedly stole the visas from the company. “We are very happy to have our passports endorsed with exit-only visas. This is what we have wanted for over a year,” said Afroze Khan, a telecommunication engineer speaking to Saudi Gazette at the airport. Saeed Khan, an electronics engineer, said the happy moment came after a long wait “particularly when we lost all hope of either finding a job or going back to India.” The group members thanked Prince Salman, Emir of Riyadh, for his personal intervention in the case. “We also thank the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, the Indian Fraternity Forum and the Kerala Relief Wing for their unwavering support throughout our stay in Riyadh,” Khan said. Ashraf Melattur, Welfare Coordinator, Fraternity Forum, an umbrella organization of 17 associations from various Indian states that took the engineers' case to the Riyadh Governorate, said the positive aspect was that there are no restrictions if the engineers want to come back on employment visas to work with any other company in the Kingdom. “The Saudi authorities have not endorsed any remarks on their passports which could bar their reentry into the Kingdom. Others members in the group will leave Riyadh within a week's time,” he said.
