Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — About 1,500 Pakistani nationals are currently being held at the Shumaisy Detention Center outside Makkah, according to Arshad Munir, consular (press) at Pakistan Consulate General in Jeddah, on Saturday.

He said Ambassador of Pakistan Khan Hasham Bin Saddique visited the detention center, which houses expatriates undergoing deportation process. The ambassador was accompanied by Pakistan’s Consul General in Jeddah Shehryar Akbar Khan and Consul Muhammad Hassan.

The diplomats were received by the director general of the detention center, who briefed them on the functioning of the center and the facilities for the detainees.

The officials at the center explained various steps being taken to fast track the deportation process. The ambassador thanked the Saudi government for making excellent arrangements of housing, medical care and food for the deportees.

The ambassador also visited various barracks at the center and interacted with Pakistani detainees. The inmates shared their problems with the ambassador, who assured them of all possible assistance by the embassy and the consulate.

Munir said while appreciating the efforts of the consul general and his staff, the ambassador urged them to continue and intensify their efforts to resolve the legitimate concerns of the Pakistani detainees. He asked the consulate to judiciously utilize all available resources with a view to ameliorating the hardships of the Pakistani detainees.