By IANS
Dubai : Saudi Arabia has deported nearly 1,000 Indians who overstayed after entering illegally by obtaining pilgrimage visas.
Saudi Arabia had issued a two-month amnesty in April promising no punishment for illegal residents who turned themselves in. The amnesty ended Friday and the Indians were sent back Tuesday.
Officials at the passport department have been struggling to find them room at the deportation centre in Jeddah, which is currently coping with the mad rush of illegal residents taking advantage of the amnesty, Arab News reported
At one time, Pakistani nationals topped the list of overstayers.
"In 2005, nearly 60,000 Pakistanis had overstayed, while the Indian figure was put at 40,000," one source told the paper.
Since then, the Pakistani government has worked to tackle the situation and controlled it. "They brought the number down to 10,000, but the problem with Indians has remained," the source said.
The Saudi authorities are grappling with the problem of overstayers, especially from India for the past few years. The Saudi government took up the issue with India's Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed when he visited the country last month.