In a recent session of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis, Secretary Zulfikar Haider of the Overseas Ministry disclosed a disconcerting trend. He revealed that a growing number of beggars originating from Pakistan were making their way abroad, giving rise to a grave concern of “human trafficking.”
Secretary Haider stunned the committee by stating that an astounding “90 percent of beggars” detained in foreign nations held Pakistani nationality. He went on to elucidate that many beggars exploited pilgrim visas to gain entry into countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq. Additionally, he shed light on the fact that a significant number of pickpockets apprehended at sacred sites like the Haram were also of Pakistani origin.
During the deliberations, Secretary Haider also drew attention to Japan’s emergence as a newfound destination for such individuals. He underscored Pakistan’s historical role in exporting skilled labor and expressed optimism that the nation’s foreign remittances would surge when professionals ventured abroad. He further noted that Saudi Arabia had now developed a preference for skilled labor over untrained workers.
Senator Rana Mehmoodul Hasan highlighted Japan’s demand for skilled workers from various nations, with India, Nepal, and Pakistan dispatching varying numbers of individuals in response to this demand. Hasan also lamented that as many as 50,000 engineers in Pakistan were currently unemployed, drawing a poignant comparison by stating, “India has reached the moon, while we stumble every day.”
He added, “Our people are now willing to work for wages lower than those of workers from Nepal and India.”
In terms of the Middle East, Senator Hasan provided statistics, indicating that approximately three million individuals resided in Saudi Arabia, with 1.5 million Pakistanis in the UAE and 0.2 million in Qatar. Haider concurred but acknowledged that Pakistan had been surpassed by Bangladesh and India in this regard. He cited concerns about the skillset and reliability of Pakistani workers in the eyes of foreign employers.
Meanwhile, Senator Sherry Rehman drew attention to a different trend, noting an influx of skilled mountaineers from Nepal into Pakistan. She emphasized that Pakistan’s own citizens generally lacked the same level of expertise in mountain climbing, shedding light on the need for skill development in this area.
