Watch: Afghan feted for decades-old service in Saudi Arabia’s Buraidah

Cairo: A Saudi man has given a farewell party for an Afghan employee in recognition of his decades-old service, a Saudi television has reported.

The Afghan worker, named Maqbul, has spent around 45 years serving Al Jarbou family in Buraidah, the capital city of Al Qassim region in central Saudi Arabia, Al Ekhbariya added.

The television broadcast a video capturing the family’s appreciation of the man’s service.

“He is a good man. If we look around, we won’t find a person like him,” the employee’s sponsor Abdullah Al Jarbou said.

“If you treat the worker well, he’ll be grateful. If he has another place to go, let him go,” he added.

The footage showed the old Afghan wearing the traditional Saudi attire as he expressed gratitude to his employer.

“Thank God, I have been working for 45 years. Abu Sulaiman [the employer] has been like my brother,” Maqbul said.

Saudi Arabia, a country of around 34.8 million people, is home to a large community of migrant workers.

In recent months, Saudi media has reported about several cases of Saudi employers displaying appreciation of their expatriate employees’ service.

Last October, Al Ekhbariya reported that a Saudi sponsor had borne the cost of his Sudanese employee’s wedding party in Al Jouf region in the north of the kingdom in a gesture of social interdependence.

Al Ekhbariya, showing footage from the party, said the Sudanese resident preferred to hold his wedding in Sakaka town, part of Al Jouf.