A Qatari delegation led by Recruitment Support Services Managing Director Major Abdullah Khalifa Al Muhanadi on Wednesday called on Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari at his office. The delegation informed Zulfi Bukhari about the status of the proposed 100,000 jobs in Qatar for Pakistanis. He was informed that Qatar’s Visa Facilitation Centres will be fully operational in Karachi and Islamabad by December. Visa centres will expedite the visa process and fees incurred during the process of hiring will be paid by the employers. Pakistani workers will be protected under the wages protection system of Qatar. Zulfi Bukhari proposed the formation of a joint working team that could work on the categorisation of Pakistani labour and the skills that Qatari employers need. This joint team will work on the mechanism to systematise the hiring process for Pakistani labour. The delegation assured Bukhari that Qatari recruitment agencies are being pursued to hire Pakistani labour as part of the 100,000 jobs drive. The recruitment agencies of Qatar will organise workshops to hire skilled labour from Pakistan. As proposed, joint team will also work on the adjustment of Pakistanis coming back from Saudi Arabia in Qatar. Bukhari emphasised the need for early completion of intake of 100,000 Pakistani workers already committed by the Qatari government. He further requested for more jobs to Pakistanis in addition to the already committed 100,000 visas. He also suggested the Qatari government to establish visa centres at Peshawar and Lahore in addition to Islamabad and Karachi. The Qatari delegation assured the SAPM that the matter will be taken up with the Qatar government and they will get back to the government of Pakistan soon. The delegation also extended an invitation to the SAPM to visit Qatar. Published in Daily Times, November 15th 2018.