Riyadh, Mar 13: Pakistanis should ensure they have valid passports to renew their residence permits as required by new Saudi legislation.
Pakistan Consul General Aftab Ahmed Khokhar issued this warning here recently at a community function.
He said the Saudi government recently introduced new laws making it mandatory for expatriates to have valid passports to renew their iqamas.He said many Pakistanis run into trouble because they do not check the expiry dates on their passports. Doing so would make life easier for passport holders and consular officials.
Khokhar was speaking at the eighth Pakistan Welfare Society (PWS) function in Jeddah. He praised the PWS and said the consulate would give it surplus Haj medicines for its community outreach programs.
Since 2006, the PWS has been holding, every two weeks, free medical camps, health seminars, employment and educational workshops, student career seminars, women's health seminars and medical screening for students.
The PWS held 198 free medical camps in 2013, providing medical tests for more than 14,000 people.
The event included a panel discussion to raise awareness of heart ailments, epilepsy, strokes and how to tackle medical emergencies.
Shakeel Ansari, a neurologist, spoke about seizures, strokes and epilepsy. Asif Malik, a consultant cardiologist, explained that people should watch what they eat.
“The major cause of hearts attacks is our lifestyle and food intake, including smoking, and drinking carbohydrate and energy drinks,” he said.
Malik also urged the consulate to help people who do not have adequate medical insurance to cover treatment at hospitals.
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