The association also provides Ramadan food packages to 700 families in need in the UAE

PAD arranged daily iftar for at least 250 people at the Pakistani mosque in Dubai’s Oud Metha. Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: Pakistan Association in Dubai (PAD) has provided air tickets to least 179 prisoners to help them go back home to celebrate Eid with their loved ones.

Tickets have been provided to prisoners who have completed their jail term and also some of those who were pardoned during Ramadan by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

“The PAD has helped secure the release of 75 prisoners during Ramadan last year but this year, we managed to help 179 prisoners, thanks to the generous support of community members,” said Rizwan Fancy, Director of Community Welfare at PAD.

“The initiative is part of our annual Ramadan campaign ‘help prisoners’ and this time we managed to provide help to a very high number of prisoners who need just air tickets to get out of the jail and go home,” said Fancy.

This time we managed to provide help to a very high number of prisoners who just needed air tickets to get out of the jail and go home.

- Rizwan Fancy, Director of community welfare at PAD

“In line with UAE government’s initiative of Year of Tolerance, we also managed to pay for air ticket of at least 25 prisoners including 20 women from other nationalities so that they could also go home to celerbate Eid their families,” Fancy told Gulf News.

He noted that most of the prisoners who were given help were either involved in petty crimes or overstayed in the country on visit visas or were caught working illegally on visit visas. He advised people coming to the UAE on visit visas to avoid overstaying or working without getting proper work permit as they may land into trouble.

Fancy said that PAD believes in social welfare of not only Pakistani expatriates but also extend helping hand to people in need from other nationalities.

PAD also organised a number of other activities during Ramadan with the help of its members and supporters.

The PAD’s Welfare Committee provided food package to at least 700 under privileged families throughout Ramadan. It also set up Ramadan fridge to allow blue collar workers benefit from it. “Interestingly, the Ramadan fridges at the association premises were mostly filled by residents from other nationalities who come forward and joined hands with use for this noble cause,” said Fancy.

The PAD’s Welfare Committee set up a Ramadan fridge to provide food packages to blue-collar workers. Image Credit: Supplied

PAD also arranged daily iftar for at least 250 people at the Pakistani mosque in Dubai.

Fancy said that PAD’s Welfare Committee regularly meets once a week to help and support the people in need. “Dozens of people come to PAD seeking help every week and we try our best to support them by paying school fees, electricity bills, house rents and even medical treatment bills for those in need,” he said, adding that decision is taken by the welfare committee team after detailed investigation on each case.

Fancy thanked community members and volunteers for making it possible for PAD to help people in need during Ramadan. “We cannot do anything without the generous support of the community,” he said.

Pakistan Association in Dubai is one of the largest community centre in Dubai.It was founded in the late 1960s as a platform for advancing the social and cultural interests of Pakistani expatriates residing in Duba.