Dear Sir,

   I was shocked by the negative and untrue portrayal of the conditions of Indian workers in Saudi Arabia in the report “Workers Abroad” by Ms.Preeti Singh Saksena and her colleagues (HT, May 15, 2006). The fact that there are more than 1.5 million Indians living in Saudi Arabia and their number is growing day by day is a sufficient proof that the depiction of their conditions by your reporters does not reflect the true state of affairs.

   I think it is about time that newspapers like Hindustan Times, which is highly respected for its fairness and impartiality, put an end to the practice of repeating unsubstantiated allegations propagated by biased Western sources who are in the habit of targeting Saudi Arabia and turning a blind eye to the so many positive aspects and brighter side of the picture. Such allegations are, at best, can not be ruled out in any society. We do not claim to have a perfect society, but we are still better than many of other societies, which claim to be as such.

I am confident this rejoinder will be given due space in your esteemed newspaper.

Kind regards.

                                                              Yours sincerely,

                                                       Saleh Mohd. Al Ghamdi

                                                                Ambassador