Timergara - Hundreds of overseas Pakistanis on Saturday staged a protest demonstration at Timergara and blocked Gur Gori Chowk for two hours for all kind of traffic. 

Speaking on the occasion, representatives of overseas Pakistanis said that they wait in long queues on daily basis in scorching heat but the Lower Dir health department had been completely failed to vaccinate overseas Pakistanis to leave for their workplace abroad. 

Criticising the government, they said Prime Minister Imran Khan himself had admitted that overseas Pakistanis had sent record number of foreign remittances this year which was a key component towards strengthening the county’s economy but now when the overseas Pakistanis were in trouble the government totally failed to take proper measure on war-footing to save their visas and jobs abroad. 

They were of the view that citizens of countries like Maldives and Afghanistan had been freely travelling to Saudi Arabia and other countries but Pakistanis were being barred to take direct flights of Saudi Arabia. Most of overseas Pakistanis, they added, were compelled to leave for Saudi Arabia through Afghanistan. 

Amjad Ali, an overseas Pakistani, said earlier he had been administered Sino Pharm vaccine but later the government of Saudi Arabia announced to allow only those getting Astrazeneca and Pfizer vaccines into the kingdom. He said he was in great trouble now as he feared his visa might be expired. 

According to reports, more than 40000 workers from Lower Dir district had been working in KSA and other Gulf countries.

 15000 had returned to their native areas during corona pandemic and were now waiting for return to the countries of their workplace.