Pak aide raises worker issues in meeting with labor minister

By Irfan Mohammed JEDDAH — Special Assistant to Pakistan Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi, who is on an official visit to the Kingdom, held a meeting with Saudi Minister for Labor and Social Development Ali Al-Ghafis in Riyadh on Wednesday. They discussed issues related to Pakistani workers in the Kingdom, according to Saudi Labor Ministry sources. The meeting was attended by high-ranking officials from the ministry. The Pakistani official stressed the importance of quickly resolving several issues related to the workers. He said the government of Pakistan is striving to further strengthen its cooperation with the Kingdom in various fields for the mutual benefit of both people, according to a statement from the Pakistan side. Pakistan also appreciated the cooperation of the Saudi authorities in assisting Pakistani workers in a number of companies who were not paid their salary dues, the statement said. Al-Ghafis said the presence of Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia was a sign of the strength of bilateral relations between the two countries, it added.