West Asia has become restless after the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran. As air flights have been affected, those who are ready to return home are also having a hard time returning home. Those who returned home from the Gulf are feeling ‘lucky to have survived’.

Raj Ullah, who returned home from Qatar last Sunday, was met with an excited expression outside the airport. He said that he felt calm after landing in Kathmandu, ‘I felt scared every day due to the sound of Iranian missiles and drone attacks. After landing here, I felt relieved.’ Raza said that he was worried about when he would go home while living in Qatar and that he had been restless until he returned.

As the fear in the Gulf countries increased, some Nepali workers have returned home on leave, while others have quit their jobs. Those who came on leave were reluctant to talk about the situation there as they had to return there again. Raza said that the work of his Nepali colleagues working in supply companies has been affected.

Prem Bahadur, who returned from Qatar, said that he came to Nepal after his family told him to 'leave and come'. He said that he did not intend to go there anymore. He said, 'Now I will do something here.'

As the impact of the war in West Asia increases, more than 2,000 Nepalis are being prevented from going to Gulf countries for employment every day. After the government suspended labor permits citing increased tension in the Gulf region, workers who had already received labor visas were also stopped.

The government had not only stopped renewing new workers, but also those who came on leave. The Department of Foreign Employment had stopped issuing both new and old labor permits for 12 countries since 17 Falgun, but has reopened labor permits for 7 countries from Tuesday. Only labor permits have been reopened for Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Jordan and Turkey.