Karachi: Overseas Pakistanis are playing a crucial role in national economy and they should be facilitated by the government, said Pasban e Pakistan President Altaf Shakoor.
In a statement, he expressed deep concern over terminating of jobs and expatriation of a large number of Pakistani workers from the Gulf countries, and asked the government to take all-out efforts to save the jobs and livelihood of these people.
He said Pakistan and the Gulf countries have been enjoying very close and brotherly relations for long. He said presence of a large number of Pakistanis in this region reflects these closer ties. He said the Pakistani workers, technicians and engineers have played a crucial role in development of the whole region. He said the recent developments about thousands of Pakistani workers being rendered jobless and expelled back are a matter of concern not only for the affected families but also for the Pakistani nation as whole.
He asked the authorities to use necessary channels and seek special steps so that the Pakistani workers can stay and work in the Gulf region countries. He said a high-level ministerial delegation should be rushed to persuade the authorities to see this issue from humanitarian and friendly goodwill grounds.
Altaf Shakoor said the Pakistani economy and balance of payments largely depends on the money eared and sent home by our overseas workers; hence, it should be ensured that more Pakistanis go abroad for work instead of overseas Pakistani workers returning home. He said we need modern and updated technical training for our youths to make them skilled to compete in regional and global job market. He said without modernizing our technical schools, colleges and universities we cannot produce world class skilled workers and experts.
He also demanded to make Arabic and Chinese languages compulsory from the high school level in Pakistan because the workforce that speaks the local language is always welcome in the host countries. He said we should also find new job markets for our youth not only in the western and Gulf countries but also in Asian and African job markets where the demand for skilled labor is very high due to their fast rising economies.