The Gulf: Employers reject Pakistanis for their “deplorable standards!”
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis has been informed about the “deplorable standards” of the South Asian nation’s workforce, mainly in the Gulf region, which has shifted hiring from other regional countries, like Bangladesh, the media reported on Wednesday.
The Senate Committee meeting, chaired by Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, lamented the government was ignoring the potential available in this sector, Dawn reported.
Recently, Pakistan suspended passports of over 2,000 people just before they boarded an aircraft, on suspicions of their being professional beggars. Officials also offloaded 16 Pakistani beggars at Multan airport before they boarded a Saudi aircraft.
After criticism from members of the committee regarding the failure of the government to harness the potential of the Pakistani diaspora, the Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Dr. Arshad Mahmood, presented a bleak picture of the situation of Pakistan labor force in the Gulf countries.
He said that 50 percent of the crime rate among the UAE labor force is reportedly attributed to Pakistanis.
The committee was informed that the UAE authorities recently expressed concern over the “inappropriate behavior” of some Pakistanis in their country, which includes making videos of women in Dubai without their consent.
Dr. Mahmood said there was a declining trend in overseas employment for the Pakistani labor force as, despite modernization and advancement in technology, a significant portion of the Pakistani labor force remains unskilled.
The committee was informed that the lack of resources and skill development of the Pakistani labor force has resulted in their replacement from other countries.
He said that the Pakistani diaspora includes 10.7 million individuals, primarily working in Saudi Arabia, UAE, the US, the UK, and Canada. The governments of UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait have voiced reservations on various issues related to overseas Pakistanis.
The committee was informed that, in September 2023, organized gangs of Pakistani beggars were found operating in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, who traveled to these countries as pilgrims.
Most of these people visit Saudi Arabia on Umrah visas and Saudi authorities have reported that 90 percent of all beggars arrested in that country were Pakistanis.
Committee member Senator Nasir Abbas highlighted the issue of Pakistanis living illegally in Iraq to earn a livelihood and questioned if the ministry can help them as they are often subjected to poor treatment.
Senator Zeeshan Khanzada said that several Pakistanis were living illegally in Italy, but they identified themselves as non-Pakistanis while the Pakistan embassy identified them as Pakistani citizens. He suggested that the ministry should play a proactive role to get a clear picture and also extend possible help to stranded Pakistanis.
