ISLAMABAD, Dec 08 (APP):Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MoOPHRD) has formally assisted 71,000 skilled and semi-skilled workers to go to Qatar for various job assignments, especially in construction sector.
Qatar had announced to hire 100,000 Pakistan’s workforce in 2015, a senior official in the ministry told APP.
At present, as many as 140,000 Pakistanis were working in Qatar’s various sectors, he added.
The official said around 10,000 Pakistanis proceeded to Qatar for various job opportunities in 2016 and 2017. However, as many as 20,000 manpower was sent to Qatar during the last year.
“This year, the figure has increased exponentially due to efforts of the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis (SAPM) Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari on foreign front,” the official added.
He said more than 23,000 Pakistanis proceeded Qatar during current year, adding the SAPM, in his recent visit to Qatar, had requested Qatari government to exhaust the present quota of 100,000 and underlined the need for hiring more skilled and qualified Pakistani workforce, especially for FIFA 2020 event.
Highlighting the government efforts on diplomatic front, he said Qatar had already set up visa facilitation centres in different cities to ensure swift processing of intending emigrants’ visas.
The SAPM also discussed the possibility of establishing Qatar Visa Centres in Lahore and Peshawar so as to augment Pakistani manpower abroad, in addition to protecting their rights, the official added.
Sharing details of the visit, he said Zulfi Bukhari, during a meeting with the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Yousaf Mohamed-Al-Othman Fakhroo, highlighted the potential of the Pakistani workforce and urged to expedite the public sector recruitment in the health and energy sectors.
He also emphasized the need for digital connectivity between the two ministries, which would make the recruitment mechanism more efficient.
During a meeting with top executives at Qatar Chamber headquarters, he said it was revealed that the volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Qatar had increased from US$1.59 billion (5.8 billion Qatari Riyals) to US$ 2.61 billion (9.5 billion Qatari Riyals) during the year 2018 that projected 63 per cent growth compared to 2017.
