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25,000-plus Pakistanis expected to use amnesty

With the sole purpose of saving a few pennies and making lives better for family back home, these men have risked their lives to earn.

They have sailed, trekked and even gone hungry for days to realise their dream of staying in the UAE, many by stealth.

The majority of them, however, are staying illegally in the country. But now the UAE has given them a chance to rectify their status or go back to their homes with some degree of respect, despite having entered illegally or overstayed -with some even illegally crossing the border from Oman to make the most of the a 60-day amnesty.

The Pakistan Consulate in Dubai has announced preparations to handle the 25,000 plus crowd expected to apply for outpasses allowing them to go back to Pakistan without legal travel documents.

Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE Jamil Ahmed Khan said special counters had been created for three categories: for those with expired passports; for those who do not possess IDs; and for those who cannot present any documents to prove their nationality. “During the last three amnesties, 50,000 Pakistanis availed of the opportunity in 1996; 25,000 in 2003 and a similar number in 2007,” he said.

Consul-General of Pakistan Tariq Iqbal Soomro said: “We have also proposed to the Pakistan government that the people who are being repatriated be given soft loans amounting to Rs300,000 (Dh11,500) each for their reintegration and settlement in the society through the banks and through Benazir Income Support Programme.”

Pakistanis can apply for outpasses at the Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi, consulate in Dubai, Pakistan Association in Dubai and Pakistan Social Centre in Sharjah. Ticket expenses will have to be borne by the applicants and only deserving cases will be paid for. The centres will be open from 10am to 5pm.

Twenty-two-year-old Nawaz from Dera Ghazi Khan snuck into the UAE on a boat, travelling from Karachi to Iran and entering the country just past midnight a year ago.

He has no documents and was among the few 60-odd people who turned up at the consulate to apply for amnesty on the first day on Tuesday. “I paid a few thousand rupees to get on the boat,” he explained. Having worked as a loader at the Deira market, Nawaz now wants to re-enter in a legal way. “There is no work in Pakistan and I have a family to support... I had to enter the UAE this way,” he said. “I still want to come back.”

Likewise, 48-year-old Mohammed Riaz from Sheikhupura has illegally crossed into the UAE from Oman after hearing about the amnesty. Like Nawaz, he too entered Oman via the sea route. “I am earning quite well in Oman, about OR160 (Dh1,600) but laws are becoming stricter,” he said.

“I saved enough money in two years to get my daughter married off and buy stuff for my other children but I want to come back legally, if possible,” said Mohammed who works as a shop helper in Oman.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com