Bahrain expels 450 Pakistanis

Bahrain has expelled 450 Pakistanis who were sent to Arab country to join its army but the deportees said they were detained and tortured.

The returnees said on arrival in Islamabad on Thursday that the authorities in Bahrain kept them like hostage for 19 months.

They said they all are university graduates and were issued visas by the Pakistani government and were promised a job in the Bahrain Army with the starting salary of Rs100,000. The Bahrain army, however, took them hostage as they reached the violence-stricken country and tortured them,  one deportee told reporters.

They said they were not given food and access to toilets for five days and were not allowed to call their families.

Around 100 more Pakistanis are expected to be deported on Friday, the deportees said.

The young men, protesting against the Bahrain government, urged the United Nations to take notice of the incident.

Last month, around 700 Pakistani workers were stranded in Saudi Arabia after their passports were taken and they were not allowed to work. A Turkish company had hired these Pakistani workers through different travel and recruiting agencies during 2011 after payment of a hefty sum against visa issuance.

Oman also routinely deports Pakistani for what the authorities claim entering illegally in the Gulf country.

Human smugglers illegally send youth to Arab and European countries who are usually caught.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=39022

Posted by Tahir Khan on Mar 14 2013. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.