ISLAMABAD: On the order’s of Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, his office has issued a letter to initiate a formal inquiry against the country’s embassy in Riyadh, suspended outgoing Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Raja Ali Ejaz, and recalled several members of staff following complaints by expat Pakistani laborers working in the kingdom who said their embassy had mistreated them.
A letter in this regard from the prime minister’s office was seen by Arab News, and its authenticity confirmed by a source in the PM’s office and two of Khan’s close aides.
Ambassador Raja Ali Ejaz was ordered home pending an investigation into his work and that of six other employees of the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh. Complaints against them had come from multiple expat laborers over recent months, Syed Zulfikar Bukhari, an adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan, told media.
“The former Ambassador to KSA, Raja Ali Ijaz has been suspended, while all staff, who dealt with the public at the Pakistani embassy and consulates in KSA to be recalled and the process for their replacement initiated immediately by the concerned ministries,” the letter said, adding that the PM had set up a ‘Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission’ to inquire into the matter and submit its report within 15 days.
The committee has been tasked to look into “inefficiency” in the provision of services to overseas Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia, “extorting and fleecing” of expatriate workers and overseas Pakistanis and a failure to resolve problems of the Pakistani community.
Raoof Hassan, special assistant to the PM for information and broadcasting, said the letter echoed what the prime minister had said in a speech on Thursday afternoon.
“Prime minister has initiated an inquiry yesterday and this has been initiated due to lack of services delivery to overseas Pakistanis,” Hassan said. “PM is determined to clean the system and ensure smooth provision of services to all Pakistanis including expatriates.”
During the current fiscal year, Saudi Arabia remained the single largest contributor to workers’ remittances by sending in $690.4 million in March. The overall inflow from the kingdom during the fiscal year amounted to $5.7 billion followed by the UAE with $4.5 billion. There are over two million Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia.
“I say this with sorrow that our embassy, the way they should appreciate these hardworking people, who put their sweat and blood into their work, and I know that these poor people sometimes work 12 hours a day, do extra shifts, save money to send to their families,” the prime minister said while addressing an event in Islamabad. “I found out that in Saudi Arabia, our embassy, did not give them the service, the way they should have taken care of our labor in Saudi, they did not do that.”
He added:
“Yesterday I set up a full-scale enquiry on this. I am opening an enquiry into the ambassador. I am recalling a lot of staff back to Pakistan. And when the enquiry’s results come, whoever is responsible, whoever mistreated our labor … I will take action against all of them.”
Khan praised Pakistanis abroad for always supporting Pakistan’s economy.
“Overseas Pakistanis have, over the years, kept our economy afloat,” he said, adding that he had been in touch with overseas Pakistanis for the past 50 years, since his cricketing days.
In a message to Pakistani embassies around the world, Khan said their “most important duty” was to look after the affairs of Pakistani laborers.
Pakistani PM establishes commission to look into expats’ complaints against Riyadh embassy
https://arab.news/5wpru
Pakistani PM establishes commission to look into expats’ complaints against Riyadh embassy
- Ambassador Raja Ali Ejaz ordered home pending investigation into his work and that of six employees of Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh
- Complaints against them had come from multiple expat laborers in recent months, workers alleged embassy staffers had mistreated them
Pakistan saw 73% increase in combat-related deaths in 2025— think tank
- Pakistan reported 3,387 deaths thus year, among them 2,115 militants and 664 security forces personnel, says think tank
- Civilian deaths increased by 24% to 580 in 2025, compared to 468 in 2024, as Pakistan saw 1,063 militant attacks in 2025
ISLAMABAD: Combat-related deaths in Pakistan this year increased by 73%, with both security forces and militants suffering casualties in large numbers, a report published by an Islamabad-based think tank said on Sunday.
As per statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), combat-related deaths in 2025 rose 73% to 3,387, compared with 1,950 in 2024. These deaths included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees (combatants), the think tank said in a press release.
“Militants accounted for about 62% of total combat-related deaths, and their 2,115 fatalities represented the highest annual militant death toll since 2015, when 2,322 militants were killed,” PICSS said.
Compared to last year, militant deaths recorded a steep increase by 122% as the PICSS reported that 951 militants had been killed in 2024.
The think tank, however, said this year was also particularly bloody for Pakistani security forces. PICSS recorded 664 security personnel deaths in 2025, a 26% rise from 528 in 2024, and the highest annual figure since 2011, when 677 security forces personnel lost their lives.
Civilian deaths also increased by 24% to 580 in 2025, compared with 468 in 2024, marking the highest annual civilian toll since 2015, when 642 civilians were killed.
As per the PICSS report, at least 1,063 militant attacks took place in 2025, a 17% increase compared with 908 in 2024 and the highest annual total since 2014, when 1,609 militant attacks were recorded.
The report also noted a 53 percent increase in suicide attacks this year, with 26 such incidents reported in 2025 compared with 17 in 2024.
“PICSS noted an expanding trend in the use of small drones, including quadcopters, with 33 such incidents recorded during 2025, alongside increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles by security forces,” the report said.
The report noted an 83% rise in arrests of suspected militants, with 497 arrested in 2025 compared to 272 in 2024.
This 2025 figure is the highest annual total of suspected militants arrested since 2017, when 1,781 militants were either arrested or laid down their weapons.
“PICSS noted that most violence remained concentrated in Pashtun-majority districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the tribal districts (erstwhile FATA), and in Balochistan,” it said.
Pakistan has been grappling with a surge in militant attacks in its western provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both bordering Afghanistan, this year.
Islamabad blames Afghanistan for providing sanctuaries to militants it alleges use Afghan soil to carry out attacks against Pakistan. Kabul denies the charges.
