With permanent residency, Pakistani actress says can finally call Saudi Arabia ‘forever home’

With permanent residency, Pakistani actress says can finally call Saudi Arabia ‘forever home’
This photo shared by Saudi-born Pakistani actress Zara Albalushi on social media in May 2018 shows her on the set of a Saudi TV production. (Photo courtesy: Zara Albalushi)
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Updated 31 December 2020
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With permanent residency, Pakistani actress says can finally call Saudi Arabia ‘forever home’

With permanent residency, Pakistani actress says can finally call Saudi Arabia ‘forever home’
  • Zara Albalushi, who was born and raised in Riyadh, posted a photo of her Premium Residency Card on social media on December 14
  • The actress thanked the kingdom and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for granting her residency, hopes to be a “worthy addition” to Saudi art and cinema

RAWALPINDIi: Pakistani actress Zara Albalushi, who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia and obtained her permanent residency for the country this month, said she was grateful to be able to finally call the kingdom her “forever home.”
Riyadh-born Albalushi, who went to Saudi schools and speaks fluent Arabic, posted a photo of her Premium Residency Card (PRC) on her social media accounts on December 14.




Saudi-born Pakistani actress Zara Albalushi poses for a photo, which was shared on her social media in July 2018. (Photo courtesy: Zara Albalushi)

The actress got the residency permit through a program launched by the kingdom in 2019 under which eligible expats can now apply for residency without being sponsored by a Saudi national, the previous rule.

“Thanks for the trust and for granting me a distinguished residence,” Albalushi, who has been acting in Saudi Arabia since 2010, wrote on Twitter. “My happiness is beyond description. Living and investment in Saudi Arabia; I want to live and die in it.”


Speaking to Arab News on the phone on Wednesday, Albalushi expressed her gratitude to the kingdom and said she hoped to be a “worthy addition” to Saudi art and cinema.
Albalushi has starred in a number of Saudi and Gulf network television dramas since 2019, including “Al-Mirath” and “Hello-Hi,” and said she was overjoyed she could now travel in and out of Saudi Arabia without restriction and without the need for a visa.

 




Pakistani actress Zara Albalushi, who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia and obtained her permanent residency for the country on December 14, 2020, seen in a photo of her travels to Abha, Saudi Arabia, shared on her Instagram account on August 21, 2020 (Photo courtesy: Zara Albalushi)

“I have derived all my talent from the country and now today, and with the continuous developments in Saudi Arabia … under the leadership of the young prince, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — may God protect him -, I can say it is my home forever,” the 39-year-old actress said.