More Pakistanis to be sent abroad for work

[Naveed Yaseen]

KARACHI: Bureau of Immigration Director-General Muhammad Ummer Morio has said that the number of Pakistanis working abroad could be substantially increased by producing more skilled manpower in the country.

He was speaking at a reception in his honour hosted by the FPCCI Standing Committee on Aviation, Chairman Muhammad Yahya Polani and Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association (POEPA) Chairman Hanif Rinch.

He said that the government is taking all possible measures to widen the existing network of private establishments involved in manpower training in the country. He said that about 0.43 million Pakistanis were provided overseas jobs by the Bureau in 2008.

He said that tenders for three new projects worth $800 million had been offered by Saudi Arabia and hoped that this would open new vistas of employment for Pakistanis.

Morio further disclosed that the Bureau of Immigration would be sending skilled manpower to Africa, Eastern Europe and Italy in the coming years. “With this end in view, we are restructuring the Bureau and will soon be able to focus more effectively on value-addition of Pak labour,” he added.

Polani lauded the Bureau of Immigration’s efforts to promote overseas employment and expressed the hope that its re-structuring would go a long way towards helping the government deal with the ever-increasing unemployment and inflation in the country.

He said that in order to reduce unemployment in the county, the government should fully capitalise on employment opportunities abroad for Pakistanis.

POEPA Chairman, Hanif Rinch said that the number of training centres imparting skills to people in the country was being raised in order to send more manpower overseas.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=176421