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Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia are either Pakistani people who live in Saudi Arabia after having been born elsewhere, or are Saudi Arabian-born but have Pakistani roots. By Pakistani roots, this could mean roots linking back to Pakistan or Pakistani diaspora or South Asia. Many Pakistani army officers and soldiers also serve in Saudi Arabia and train the Saudi military cadets. According to a 2023 estimate, 2.64 million Pakistanis live and work in Saudi Arabia.[2][3]
 Pakistani workers at Al Masjid Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque) in Medina | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,814,678 (2022 census) [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Riyadh, Khobar, Jeddah, Makkah, Jubail, Dammam, Jizan, Medina | |
| Languages | |
| Urdu · Pashto · Punjabi · Hindko · Kashmiri · Sindhi · Arabic · Saraiki | |
| Religion | |
| Islam |
Culture
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There are numerous restaurants, shops and cultural activities in Saudi Arabia which cater to the Pakistani diaspora. In Jeddah's Azizia district, a large Pakistani community is present due the close proximity of Pakistan International School in Jeddah. Azizia district is home to numerous Pakistani food outlets and shops. Sharfia and Baghdadia district are other districts with significant Pakistani communities. Similarly, Al Shemaisy and Al Manfuha are areas with a substantial number of amenities related to the Pakistani community i.e. Pakistani food outlets, embroidery, groceries etc. A Pakistani diaspora exists on a smaller scale throughout Saudi Arabia.
Education
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To meet the requirement of the education, there are Pakistani schools in large cities of Saudi Arabia. They are known as International Schools with the name of the city comes after where the school is situated. They follow Pakistani national curriculum apart from Pakistan International School (English Section), Jeddah, which follow British Curriculum.
Riyadh: Pakistan International School, Riyadh - Largest School catering to Pakistani residents in Riyadh. Pakistan International School, English Section provides IGCSE and A-Level education to the Pakistani community
Jeddah: Pakistan International School, Jeddah and Pakistan International School (English Section), Jeddah
Jubail: Pakistan International School, Jubail
Taif: Pakistan International School, Taif
Al-Hassa: Pakistan International School, Al-Hasa
Al-Khobar: Pakistan International School, Al-Khobar
Al-Madina Al-Aqeeq international school, Al-Madina There are many private schools which cater to other educational needs of students.
Notable Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia
edit- In 1957, Pakistani expatriate Anwar Ali[4] became the governor of SAMA (Saudi Arabian Monetary Fund), who had come to the country with an International Monetary Fund mission and who held the post as a confidant of King Faisal until his death, in 1974.
- Nawaz Sharif - spent eight years in self exile upon an agreement with Pervez Musharraf and Saad Hariri. Returned to Pakistan in 2007.
- General Raheel Shareef - Ex-Chief Of Army Staff, Pakistan is currently the chief of Joint Islamic Forces, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi citizens of Pakistani descent
edit- Ghulam Akbar Khan Niazi, military physician[5]
- Umer Chapra, economist[6]
- Abdullah Alam Rashid, Ministry of Agriculture a Punjabi-Pakistani Civil Engineer who helped build and map Saudi roadways connecting Riyadh to Jeddah in the early 1900s. Alam Rashid created and mapped the roadways and major connections between two of the most populous cities in the Kingdom leading to the discovery of habitat, natural resources and settlements. In recognition of his services to the Kingdom, he was granted citizenship and the highest civilian honor for his services.
Deportation
editReportedly, in four months from late 2016 to early 2017, Saudi Arabia deported at least 40,000 Pakistani nationals due to visa issues and violation of the rules of residence and work.[7][8][9][10] In addition, an estimated 250,000 Pakistanis have been deported from various countries in a three year period from 2012 to 2015. Of them, 131,643 were deported from Saudi Arabia.[11]
Media
editUrdu News targets Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia, providing them news in their national language, Urdu.[12] Bazm E Shaheen is also a community run organization which organizes events for the Pakistani community in Saudi Arabia.
See also
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References
edit- ^ "Saudi Arabia 2022 Census" (PDF). General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-04-28. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ Al Sherbini, Ramadan (May 5, 2023). "Pakistani expat worker numbers in Saudi Arabia surge to 2.64 million as ties thrive". Gulf News. Cairo. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Lahore to Jeddah latest ticket price of PIA". Pakistan Observer. Lahore. 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ http://2001-2009.state.gov/documents/organization/113365.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ Shah, Aamir (17 February 2019). "King Abdullah's first Pakistani doctor says bilateral ties in the pink of health". Arab News Pakistan. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
But to his surprise the crown prince asked: "You have been living here for so many years, why shouldn't I grant you nationality of Saudi Arabia?" "This was indeed a pleasant surprise for me and I bowed my head to express consent," Niazi said. "He granted me the nationality, saying 'Go and serve my people as a Saudi citizen and nobody now will call you a foreigner or a non-Saudi national'.
- ^ Al-Khudair, Deema (16 February 2019). "50 years of memories: Pakistani economist who helped build Saudi banking system". Arab News. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
Chapra won the King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies in 1990. In recognition of his services to the Kingdom, he was granted Saudi citizenship.
- ^ "39,000 Pakistanis deported from Saudi Arabia in four months". The Express Tribune. 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia 'deports 40,000 Pakistani workers over terror fears'". The Independent. 2017-02-13. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ "40,000 Pakistani workers deported over terror fears from Saudi Arabia". 2017-04-12. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ Dawn.com (2017-02-07). "Saudi Arabia deported 39,000 Pakistanis in last four months: report". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ Dawn.com, APP | (2016-11-20). "Nearly 250,000 Pakistanis deported from 2012-2015: report". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ "The biggest Urdu newspaper". Al Khaleejiah Advertasing and Public Relations Company. Retrieved 4 June 2012.