Daily Times

In the backdrop of worst economic contraction and layoff in GCC region, Pakistan is yet to come up with plan to help thousands of Pakistani workers, regulated and unregulated, who have been deprived of their jobs from UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf region countries. Since there is no let up, more layoff looms large in the days ahead.

According to Ministry for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development senior official Ghias Anwar, government data shows that 60000 regulated workers have registered themselves on official online portal launched by Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC).

“This data will help government to figure out size of crisis. Keeping in view complete picture, all needful measures will be executed accordingly,” he added.

It is estimated that over 11 million Pakistanis (mostly male) from1971-2019, departed abroad for work. Over 90 per cent of them, preferred to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates hosting the largest share of Pakistani migrant workers. In South Asia, Pakistan is now the second-largest country after India to send migrant labour to the GCC, the majority of which is low to semi-skilled.

Gulf Overseas employment promoter MaqsoodMinhas said that number of unregulated migrant workers, who were not managed by Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD), was terribly high. “They are in dire straits as most of laws deny to heal their plights,” he added.

In order to help expats, fulfil their dreams of having their own house in a safe and secure environment with simple access to all the significant amenities, OPF has effectively finished seven OPF Housing Schemes

Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association (POEPA) Chairman SarfrazZahoor Cheema blasted government over its apathy to returnees saying except registration portal, no rehabilitation plan involving bailout package or incentives was on the sight. He emphasized on offering preferential jobs to affectees in all government projects especially CPEC. Meanwhile, their list should also be shared with industries to accommodate them at earliest. “As per rescue plan POEPA has outlined to facilitate them is whenever we receive new job demands from foreign countries, returnees’ cases will be placed on the top. Their credentials entailing experience, language and adaptability would be plus point to help secure their jobs on good terms, he added. He proposed the government for laying down exclusive plans for knowledge enhancement and skill upgradation to all affectees to let them remain competitive and relevant to job markets.

In order to see loopholes in legal framework and management issues to protect legal rights of workforce, Center on International Migration, Remittance and Diaspora (CIMRAD) released a research report titled “Pakistan Migration Report 2020”.

Report says that legal framework for migration governance is still guided by the Emigration Ordinance promulgated in 1979, and amended periodically. “Efforts at formulating, and adopting a revised policy have not succeeded thus far. A draft policy document on “National Emigration and Welfare Policy for Overseas Pakistanis”, has been prepared and widely shared with several stakeholders in the last few months. This document must be presented to, and approved, by Parliament in order to provide an updated legislative framework for migration governance,” it pointed out.

Report smokes out that at the same time, a mechanism for evaluation of the effective implementation of various policies must be instituted. “More than half of all labour migrants from Pakistan continue to fall in the category of unskilled/semi-skilled workers. Unskilled and semi-skilled workers are often employed in the riskiest jobs most vulnerable to abuse, and their proportion among labour migrants must be reduced through upskilling of our human resources. Efforts at enhancing the skill levels of Pakistan’s labour force, and its overseas migrants should be strengthened. There is need to put in place a systematic mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness of the current programs. underway for vocational and technical training. Thus, programs aimed at upskilling must be regularly evaluated, and their deficiencies removed,” it added.

Report reveals that knowledge about return migration to Pakistan remains especially weak. “No result-oriented data collection system is in place to capture return flows in order to provide assistance where needed, or reintegrate migrants productively in the community. Programs designed to achieve the above goals could be launched with focused interventions. The proposed “National Emigration and Welfare Policy for Overseas Pakistanis” identifies the strengths of returnees as one of the three pillars for reaping the benefits of migration and should be implemented effectively once adopted,” it concluded.

Meanwhile, OPF Director General Human Resource and Administration LaeeqaAmbreen said that in order to facilitate the returning Overseas Pakistanis in terms of skill development for their subsequent re-employment/reintegration in Pakistan’s social and economic fabric for gainful employment, OPF has recently signed an MoU with GIZ, German development agency, which has agreed to provide a grant of 3.13 Million Euro for this purpose.

She said that realizing that economic development and reduction in poverty are two of the foremost challenges faced by the country and both are strongly associated with the size of remittances. Especially in Pakistan’s case, she said, the Prime Minister Imran Khan, right in the early days of his premiership had expressed his government’s desire to take necessary steps to restore the confidence of Overseas Pakistanis.

She said that other than being concerned about the well-being of their families and properties back home, the Overseas Pakistanis, most of whom reside and work in the Middle East, face a number of work-related issues such as non-payment of wages, delayed salaries, non-issuance of release letters by previous employers for change of visa/sponsorship, lengthy procedures of issuance of NICOP, POC, passports, lack of basic necessities at the workplace, repatriation of workers, assistance in crisis etc. OPF fits in at the service end of the multi-layered expatriation process as it looks after the interests of Overseas Pakistanis working abroad and their dependents / family members living in Pakistan.

In order to help expatsfulfil their dreams of having their own house in a safe and secure environment with simple access to all the significant amenities, she said, OPF has effectively finished seven OPF Housing Schemes.

“Development work at OPF Greens Lahore, Foundation’s latest housing project for Overseas Pakistanis, is in full swing whereas allotment of plots at OPF Town Lahore, a housing project specifically designed for low-paid Overseas Pakistanis, is underway. Besides, another housing project namely OPF Country Homes & Apartments is being launched in Islamabad. The last three projects have been given the final shape after PTI’s government came to power,” she added.

She mentioned clearly that under the capable guidance and supervision of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on OP & HRD, Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, OPF has successfully recovered more than 150 Kanals of state land in Lahore and Islamabad valuing Rs. 1.20 Billion. Furthermore, in order to safeguard ownership rights of Overseas Pakistanis, digitization and automation of land records of all OPF Housing Schemes is in process.

The writer is freelance journalist