Muscat: With jobs lost, salaries cut and sometimes not paid, expatriates who had flown to Omani shores are now heading back home. The stories told by the various communities across Oman have the same theme – the community groups stationed in Oman, ably supported by the Omani government machinery, help them alongside the diplomatic missions in the Sultanate.
Azra Aleem, a well-known social worker, who has been in Muscat for more than three decades and works for the welfare of the Pakistani community told Gulf News the staff of the Pakistan embassy along with Pakistan Social Club Oman, are working to arrange repatriation flights. This is for the benefit of Pakistanis citizens left jobless in the wake of the pandemic.
“By the end of July 2020, more than 10,000 Pakistanis safely returned to Pakistan as more special flights are getting organised. Our embassy is also working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oman, to arrange for the safe return of the Pakistani citizens employed here - who had gone on holidays to their homeland and have been stuck there since then - that has resulted in their safe arrival to Oman.”
Azra, along with the other members of the Pakistan Social Community, had organised an online cultural extravaganza as part of the 74th Pakistani Independence Day celebrations.
Another notable community that has made its presence felt in Oman is Bangladeshis, who have also borne the brunt of the pandemic. Many returned jobless to Bangladesh. Mohammad Tawhid, Manager of Bangladesh Social Club in Oman, said more than 2,000 Bangladeshi residents were flown back to their country, facilitated through the Bangladesh embassy and Bangla Social Club. “This is an approximate estimate but there were many that flew by availing the services of the travel agencies as well. The first flight organised in this regard by us was on June 17 after which we followed it up with more repatriation flights.”
While the Sri Lankan community may not be big in terms of numbers, their contribution nevertheless in ensuring a safe handling of the pandemic situation in Oman is worth noticing. Roy Lasintha, President of the Sri Lankan Social Club in Oman said that the club helped repatriate close to 500 Sri Lankan citizens from Oman.
“We had two repatriation flights and there are more coming up in September. The flights are either arranged by the Sri Lankan embassy, which is a Sri Lankan government initiative, or by private charters. While free quarantine facility is provided by the Sri Lankan Government for those taking the Embassy-arranged flight, the passengers of private charter flights will have to pay for their quarantine arrangements.”
