Citizens evading national service will not get jobs
Citizens failing to undergo the mandatory national service will not be eligible for jobs in the government and non-government sectors, as per a law regulating the service.
They will also be not eligible for a licence to do any business and will not be registered in the job-seekers list unless exempted from the service.
The service is mandatory for all citizens aged 18 to 35 years.
The Emir H H Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani issued law No. 5 of 2014 on national service on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Interior and the Supreme Council of Heath (and other authorities concerned) should inform the Ministry of Defence during the first half of every year the names of the Qatari males who have completed 18 years.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Defence will inform the eligible citizens to report within 60 days to the authority concerned.
The date of birth as per documents of the Ministry of Interior and the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) will be taken as the basis for determining age.
For those who don’t have the documents, the SCH should produce the document related to age.
No citizen is allowed to stay in his job or run a business after being called for the national service unless he is exempted/pardoned/ or given an extension of the deadline.
The law stipulates stiff punishments for those who try to skip or delay the service.
Those who present fake documents or present a fake person for medical check-up will face jail for not less than one month and not more than one year and a fine not more than QR20,000 or both.
Anyone who deliberately causes injuries or other serious ailments in his body to skip the service and those who help or facilitate someone to escape from the service will also face similar punishment.
Those who delay joining the service until he crosses 35 will face jail for not more than one year and a fine of not more than QR50,000 or both.
Those failing to report for the service in one month (if he is in Qatar) or in two months (if he is abroad) will face jail for not more than one month and QR5,000 fine or both.
The general commander at the Ministry of Defence or his representatives can assign the candidates if necessary to spend all of the national service period or part of it in performing jobs and duties related to the general development goals of the country.
But this requires a decision from the Cabinet and the Chief of Staff should issue the implementation rules.
The period of the national service can be extended as follows:
Not more than one month for those who delay joining the service as punishment, and not more than two months for those who didn’t respond to the call to do national service within the deadline.
The general commander can further extend the period in case of violating the national service law, to a maximum two months for each violation.
The following categories are exempted from the national service -
- students of military colleges or institutions who have completed their study and done their primary training;
- those who have been assigned the military rank after finishing the basic training period;
- those who have been given an exemption according to public interest requirements or for national security considerations.
The law has also specified cases in which a person can be allowed to delay joining the service or exempted from the service for humanitarian considerations including those who are found physically unfit or those who are the sole dependents of the family.
All the government and non-government entities should retain the jobs of their national service members and they should provide all the dues, allowances and promotion and the service period should be counted in retirement and for rewards.
Those who complete the service should rejoin their jobs within 15 days. If he didn’t join without any valid reasons, legal action will be taken against him.
Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com
