Expatriates in Qatar should always carry their original Residency Permit (QID) cards, an official of the Ministry of Interior said on Friday at an Iftar organised by Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF) for the Indian community at Al Arabi Sports Club. 
“Photocopies of the Residency Permit cards are not acceptable. Always carry the original and show if asked by the Al Fazza Police," explained Faisal al-Hudawi, Community Reach Out Office Coordinator at the Public Relations Department, Ministry of Interior (MoI). 
"Similarly, if any person is claiming to be a policeman or CID and asks for QID, people have the right to ask for his identity card. Authorised officials can have any of three types of IDs, such as the one from the Ministry of Interior, a CID ID, and the third one from the Drugs Prevention and Enforcement Department,” he noted. 
People should always be careful about the materials they carry from their countries while travelling back to Qatar. “If any person hands over any baggage, you have to verify the content of the baggage before coming to Qatar. If not, never accept such baggage as it might land you in trouble in case they turn out to contain prohibited items.
“Around 150 types of medicines are prohibited in Qatar. Such medicines should not be brought to the country. Similarly, if you want to bring any medicine to be used for a long term such as a month, the prescription must be signed by a doctor on his letter pad with hospital seal. If you need medicine for more than one month, consult it with the doctor and get the prescription for alternate medicine available in Qatar.” 
“Certain medicines used in India are not permitted in Qatar. So people should not bring them here. People caught in drug cases have to pay a fine of QR 300,000 to 500,000 as well as imprisonment up to 10 years.
“It is prohibited to share the pictures of an accident or victims on social media. If somebody violates this rule and the second party complains about it, there can be a fine of up to QR10,000 or up to two years' imprisonment. People also must not forward such pictures to their social media groups or share it with others.” 
The MoI official also asked the gathering to always remember the number of their residential buildings. “In case of an emergency, it is always important to inform the police, the number of the building. This will help the police reach the place immediately as their system is automatically connected with the buildings through their numbers,” he added.
A large number of people from the Indian community attended the Iftar. There were representatives from various organisations including Lieutenant Abdul Wahed Ghareeb al-Enazi from the MoI, Indian Islamic Association president KC Abdul Lateef, officials from RAF as well as several religious leaders and representatives from other community organisations.
Related Story