Saudi Arabia asked Pakistan not to send beggars & people without skill

Officials of Saudi Arabia asked Pakistan not to send beggars, sick people, and people without any skill to them. The Secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development reported it to the Senate Standing Committee.

Secretary gave a briefing to the Senate committee about a downward trend in the employment of Pakistani workers abroad. He related this trend with modernization and advanced technology in countries including Saudi Arabia.

*Saudi Arabia demanded Pakistan not to send unskilled people*

However, a significant number of Pakistan’s labor force is still unskilled. The secretary also informed the committee that foreign workers are replacing Pakistani workers due to a lack of resources and opportunities for skill development within the native labor force.

Senator Zeeshan Khanzada is the chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development. He led a meeting on July 30, 2024, at Parliament House in which the secretary gave a briefing to the committee.

The secretary reported about 71.8 million workers in Pakistan. However, 10.7 million people live abroad, mostly in Saudi Arabia, UAE, the UK, Canada, and the US.

Overseas Pakistani ministry representatives also briefed the committee on issues relating to criminal activity among Pakistani workers overseas.

*UAE attributed 50% of criminal activities of foreign workers to Pakistanis*

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They stated that 50 percent of crimes committed by UAE labor forces are attributed to Pakistanis. They emphasized that Pakistan should take inspiration from skilled laborers in Bangladesh and other similar nations.

Moreover, the Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis informed the committee about a labor agreement with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia asked Pakistan not to send beggars, and unskilled people to its territory based on this agreement.

Officials also informed the Senate Committee that Middle Eastern countries are leaning more towards Africa than Pakistan. They also reported complaints regarding Pakistanis abroad making TikToks referring to strange explanations for rain in UAE.