“The establishment of an embassy of Saudi Arabia in Nepal is a must because in the absence of an embassy migrant Nepali workers in Saudi Arabia are facing lots of problems,” said PNCC president Mahendra Pandey.

“The government should also take immediate action to work for the release of its 15,000 citizens in jails in Saudi Arabia,” the committee said adding that they should be freed and their families informed.

PNCC put forth a set of demands along with the request for an embassy for immediate consideration today to Nepal’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia Hameed Ansari.

Other demands include the cancellation of visa fees for those going to Saudi Arabia to work. The Nepali embassy in Saudi Arabia needs to be sent all the visas for those coming back from Saudi Arabia.

Lastly, PNCC has demanded that the Nepali embassy should demand the government of Nepal to increase and secure stronger resources for the embassy in Saudi Arabia as well as extend embassies to Jeddah and a few other places in Saudi Arabia.

Pandey in his proposal to the ambassador suggested that a monitoring team including experts in the field be formed in view of the incidents of cheating by brokers.

“There should be a provision that ensures that workers are not extradited from the work destination without registering with the embassies so as to protect the interest of workers going to Saudi Arabia,” added Pandey.