New Delhi: Pakistan has been issued warnings about the rising number of expatriates by several Gulf countries. Now, the country has been asked to give its citizens lessons in ‘proper behaviour’. UAE and Saudi Arabia don’t want the Pakistani government to send workers to these countries.
The disclosure was made during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis, where Secretary Overseas Pakistanis Dr Arshad informed the committee that the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait had expressed concerns about various issues related to overseas Pakistanis, GeoTV reported.
Arshad told the committee that 0.6 million to 0.8 million Pakistanis leave the country every year, and only 2,00,000 to 3,00,000 return. UAE has a yearly quota of 1.6 million Pakistanis which has now exceeded 1.8 million. And Pakistanis are behind nearly 50 per cent of the crimes occurring in UAE.
The Gulf nations’ concerns include Pakistanis travelling under the guise of pilgrimage and begging in these countries. And more recently, Pakistani men have been making inappropriate videos in front of women in Dubai, Pakistani nurses have refused to work in Kuwait and labourers have refused to wear helmets in Qatar.
This follows a previous report from September 2023, when Dr Arshad informed the same committee that among all Pakistanis leaving the country, “beggars” were travelling abroad in the highest numbers. The Pakistani government then decided to suspend the passports of 2,000 ‘beggars’, and blacklisted them for seven years, adding that this practice brings disrepute to the country
Saudi Arabia has now stated that they will only permit workers to be employed if they pass the test administered by the National Centre for Human Resources Development.
Also read: Pakistani beggars together earn $42 billion a year. It’s a global enterprise
Migration to the Gulf
More than 90 per cent of all migrant workers from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka take jobs in a GCC country, according to a 2015 International Labour Organisation (ILO) report. Pakistan was also the second largest labour migrant exporter to these countries.
In 2022, over 7,50,000 educated young Pakistanis opted to seek employment abroad due to the country’s uncertain economic and political situation and shrinking job opportunities.
This is nearly three times the departures in 2021 (2,25,000) and 2020 (2,88,000). This also included 92,000 highly educated individuals, such as doctors, engineers, IT experts, and accountants, Express Tribune reported. The Bureau of Emigration noted that the majority of these emigrants moved to Middle Eastern countries, primarily Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
A 2022 research article by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) also found that over the last 40 years, around eight million workers have moved abroad through formal channels, mostly to the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been the main destinations, but workers have also gone to other oil-rich countries like Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. Moving to places outside the Middle East is uncommon, showing that Pakistan has not found many new job markets for its workers.
Each year, sending workers to the Gulf countries helps reduce the pressure on Pakistan’s local job market. This outflow represents about one-third of new job seekers in Pakistan and more than 10 per cent of the country’s unemployed labour force.
Regarding the government’s efforts to tackle the pressing challenges, officials stated that the ministry is currently collecting data on job availability and emerging professions in different countries.
They also noted that a cabinet committee has been established under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address immigration issues.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)
With such articles I’m sure you will become famous news reporter is India.
Such a waste of time
Before sending pakistani national abroad must be mandatory lessons for 2 months with 8 hours daily classes. The ethics course be must for travelers for job purposes abroad. Must take Oath that wont commit any crime. must get approval from Federal Investigation agency approval before applying for visa.
Very heartless set of people the Pakistanis. Sorry to say this but…. this is the actual truth. Presently am working in a Chinese company with them and the Chinese Boss don’t want a Pakistani Forman but these set of people Pakistanis are giving me a very hard time because they are jealous an African is above them.
Don’t spread the hate you Hippocrates, in first for the road work the helmet is not necessary second due to high heat wawes and temperature of road we allow the labour to take of their safety helmets off to avoid exhaustness india’s media is always like their movies.
Such a fake article lol )))
The article is ok ..but it’s also confusing..Are the figures written in millions or thousands?
Because you might mistakenly pass a wrong message to the public…
It’s fact that there are some issues regarding this. But despite all these factors indicated in the article Pakistani labour force demand in gulf countries is still high. Indian media like Indian government highlights anti Pakistan propaganda with mis informations, Why are you not highlights Indian community involved in immorality and other social evils across the world. In fact where’s human there are many moral and other issues because of human nature. So make a big propoganda over small issues showing enemity isn’t right. Look around in your country. Crime rate, religious enemity with Muslims, poverty and many other issues.