As far as I see it, three possibilities:
1) You got incorrect information from whomever you were talking to at Gulf Air.
2) You misunderstood what they told you.
3) The requirements have changed, possibly due to the fact that Oman is no longer an owner state and they are looking ahead to what the requirements will be (by the time you join) by Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs when our aircraft will be reregistered as "A9C" and we will all be holding Bahraini pilots licences.
Good luck with your training.