ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: As many as 15,294 Pakistanis were killed in road accidents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period from 2015-2020, the National Assembly was told on Friday.
The information was shared with the House by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a written reply to a question by the lawmaker Sher Akbar Khan.
Apprising the House on whether insurance is paid to the families of those victims, the minister told that as per local laws, the legal heirs of the deceased are entitled to claim payment of insurance of the deceased from the General Office of Social Insurance (GOSI) if the worker has passed away on duty.
In order to claim insurance payment, the legal heirs of the deceased have to give Power of Attorney to any person of confidence or the Consulate General/Embassy to pursue the case of insurance payment.
About whether any diyat is paid to the legal heirs of victims, Qureshi told that according to prevailing Sharia laws in Saudi Arabia, the legal heirs of a deceased expatriate are entitled to blood money upto Saudi Riyal (SAR) 300,000/ or according to the percentage of responsibility of the accident fixed by the concerned Traffic Police.
In case of 100% responsibility on the part of the deceased Pakistani, his legal heirs are not entitled to claim any amount of diyat. The blood money is recovered through a lengthy process of litigation including attending scheduled hearings of the Shariah Courts in various cities.
The foreign minister said that despite human resource constraints, Pakistan’s Missions pursue such cases free of cost by deputing its officials who are well-versed in the Arabic language and local laws.
As a result of our efforts, around SAR 18.9 million on account of dues / diyat of deceased Pakistanis have been recovered during the past five years, he told.
