Over 70 inmates to get air tickets to go home

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

DUBAI: As many as 70 inmates who have been waiting for air tickets and minor fines to pay will fly home within week as the arrangements are in the final phase. Arranging tickets and others have been made possible with the cooperation of community philanthropists, Pakistan Consulate in Dubai and Northern Emirates and more importantly the government officials.

This was stated by Ahmed Amjad Ali, Consul General of Pakistan in Dubai in an exclusive interview with Gulf Today while shedding light on a number of community activities and their progress.

The officials from the Welfare Section of Dubai Consulate have been visiting the jails on a regular basis and found these inmates need air tickets to go back to their families.

“There were around 30 inmates in the Sajja prison in Sharjah, who have been detained due to overstaying in the country, waiting for their air tickets. The Consulate officials who are regularly visiting prisons have arranged the air tickets with the cooperation of community members and the local government. Similarly around 40 prisoners who completed their terms in prison in Dubai had also been provided with tickets and soon they will fly home,” he added.

The number of students in the two community schools in Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah will be increased threefold once the expansion is completed as the procedures of seeking approval from different government entities have been in thefinal stages, said CG Ahmed Amjad Ali.

“Once the expansion is completed with all the required facilities, there will be no need to set up more community schools in Northern Emirates. We are delighted that these schools have improved in the last couple of months as the local government bodies have termed satisfactory,” he said.

To increase outreach to the community members residing in the Northern Emirates and facing difficulties in various consul services, the consulate will be starting consular visits to different cities of Northern Emirates to provide services like Attestation of Documents, Issuance of NICOP, Issuance of Out-pass, Community Welfare Services and resolve passport related matters.

Ali said that the visits will benefit the community on the following dates, in Sharjah on April 19 at Pakistan Social Centre, Sharjah. The community n Ras Al Khaimah will benefit through the visit on April 26 at Pakistan Social Centre, RAK while a similar visit will take place in Fujairah on May 3 at Pakistan Islamia Higher Secondary School, Fujairah.