ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Department has set a target of sending over one million people to other countries for earning livelihood on respectable wages.
This was stated by Secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Department Khizar Hayat Khan. Talking to APP in an interview, he said the ministry sent 946,000 persons abroad during the last calendar year in different trades through its departments of Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) and Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE). While the ministry is likely to achieve the target of sending one million persons abroad this year.
Khizar Hayat said the country has earned foreign remittances worth Rs 19 billion during this fiscal year through employed labour in other countries while it has set the target of Rs. 20 billion remittances for the upcoming year.
The workers sent to other countries include professional doctors, nurses, technicians, electricians, engineers and labourers. He said the ministry is diligently working to explore labour markets in different countries to provide maximum employment opportunities to the skilled and unskilled labour in the country. The ministry has adopted multiple strategies to explore new labour markets in order to facilitate skilled workers and labourers in finding employment abroad.
Listing some initiatives, he said the ministry has signed Memorandums of Understanding with Republic of Korea, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Malaysia to promote overseas employment. The ministry has also posted Community Welfare Attaches in 14 manpower-importing countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Malaysia and Korea.
A large number of Overseas Employment Promoters with the licence of the ministry are working to meet demand of manpower in foreign countries. The secretary said a complaint cell has been established with the help of International Labour Organization (ILO) for the overseas Pakistanis to register their complaints and facilitate them.
