BRIEFING of the Secretary Overseas Pakistanis Dr. Arshad to the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis should serve as an eye opener for all ministries, departments and agencies involved, in any way, in manpower export. He apprised the Committee that various countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar have voiced reservations on various issues related to Pakistani workforce including their inappropriate behaviour, lack of required skills, begging in the garb of Ziarat visa and their involvement in criminal activities.
Gulf countries are major and attractive destinations for Pakistani manpower and Pakistanis working there are a dominant source of foreign exchange for the country. About six hundred thousand to eight hundred thousand people go abroad each year and 96% travel to the Middle East. Saudi Arabia alone hosts over two million Pakistanis and 0.4 million go to the KSA every year. There is, therefore, an urgent need to address concerns and reservations of the host countries vis-à-vis Pakistani workforce so that we do not lose these important job markets to others. Generally, Pakistanis are hardworking and do their jobs efficiently but, of course, some issues are regularly highlighted by media reports. There have been consistent reports about some recruiting agents sending people to Saudi Arabia and some other countries for begging, bringing bad name to the country. A strong action against such elements could discourage the tendency and take care of the concerns of the relevant countries. Similarly, recruiting agents primarily focus on minting money and do not care much about qualification and experience of the candidates for particular posts. There are mutual arrangements for conducting tests and interviews with the host companies but still a foolproof system can be evolved to ensure that only those who fulfill the criteria are sent abroad for employment. At the same time, the recruiting agencies and other relevant ministries and departments should ensure that contractual obligations in terms of salaries and work conditions are also met by the host companies and organizations. There is now greater demand for skilled manpower, therefore, proper studies should be carried out to assess manpower needs of different markets and people trained in relevant fields involving institutions of repute. As for inappropriate behaviour or involvement of people in crimes, orientation courses should invariably be conducted for all those proceeding abroad, cautioning them of the local sensitivities and the need for respecting local laws.
