Panel clears more than 2,950 exit permit cases

The Exit Permit Grievances Committee has received some 2,958 cases since the beginning of 2017, of which it has turned down only two applications and cleared the rest.This was informed by officials of the committee at a briefing held yesterday for representatives of the Indian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan communities in Qatar. The event was held at the Officers’ Club of the Ministry of Interior (MoI).The committee was constituted late last year and its functioning is based on the provisions of Article 7 of Law No 1 of 2017, which replaced the partial amendments of Law No 21 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residence of expatriates. Replying to queries from expatriate community members, committee chairman Brigadier Salem al-Muraikhi stressed that the panel was constituted to safeguard and protect the interests of aggrieved parties in discussion with their employers (sponsors or representatives of sponsors) within the framework of the law pertaining to the same.The official said whenever the committee receives a complaint from an expatriate, its members meet both parties and the outcome of the discussions is communicated to all concerned. Brigadier al-Muraikhi noted that when the committee finds it difficult to sort out issues during meetings, both the parties are again summoned for further negotiation before reaching a decision that is to the satisfaction of all concerned.Further, the chairman said the constitution of the committee, which has representatives from the MoI, Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs and the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), and its meetings with the representatives of various communities demonstrated the keenness of the government to not only reach out to expatriates of different nationalities but also to protect the interests and welfare of expatriate workers contributing to the development of Qatar.“Every expatriate working here is important to the country and we are committed to his welfare even while taking into account the interests of his employers,” the official said.Besides Brigadier al-Muraikhi, a number of other officials also attended the briefing.