Pakistan to train workers for emerging job opportunities in Saudi Arabia

Pakistani laborer work at a construction site in Peshawar on April 30, 2018. (AFP)
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Updated 12 May 2021
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Pakistan to train workers for emerging job opportunities in Saudi Arabia

  • PM Khan’s advisor on overseas Pakistanis says his ministry is working with relevant Saudi authorities to prepare a standardized labor contract for Pakistani nationals
  • Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia sent $5.7 billion to their country between July and March, making the kingdom the single largest source of remittances to the South Asian state

KARACHI: Pakistan is striving to benefit from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program which is expected to create millions of employment opportunities in the kingdom by helping its workforce build its professional capacity, a top Pakistani official told Arab News on Tuesday.
The program is a strategic transformation initiative to reduce the kingdom’s dependence on oil by diversifying its economy and turning it into a global industrial hub.
The plan requires the Saudi authorities to invest $320 billion to develop its non-oil sector by undertaking a string of mega projects, such as developing technologically smart cities that help their inhabitants with further innovation in their respective fields.
“I have already directed my ministry to identify the economic sectors at the heart of the Saudi initiative along with the skillsets required to capture the greatest number of emerging employment opportunities,” Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari said while talking to Arab News.
“The ministry has also been directed to coordinate along with Pakistan’s National Vocational and Technical Training Commission with relevant Saudi organizations for accreditation and mutual skill recognition to effectively utilize the future demand,” he added.
Bukhari said his ministry was working with relevant Saudi authorities to develop a standardized labor contract for Pakistani nationals.
Home to over two million Pakistani migrants, Saudi Arabia is already the single largest source of remittances to the South Asian state.
During July-March 2021 period, the Pakistani diaspora in the kingdom sent $5.7 billion to their homeland. Such inflows of remittances continue to support Pakistan’s balance of payment position and keep its foreign reserves stable.
In an interview with Pakistan’s state-owned news channel on Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud applauded the role of Pakistani expatriates in the development and progress of his country.
“We have a very ambitious plan, Vision 2030,” he said. “Under that plan, we expect to grow significantly the employment base in the kingdom. That means of course that there will be significant opportunities for additional employment for Pakistani nationals.”
The Saudi foreign minister also invited Pakistani business community to benefit from the emerging investment opportunities in the kingdom.
“We also hope that Pakistani businesses will continue to increase their investment in the kingdom because there are some very successful entrepreneurs who I think will find excellent and exciting opportunities,” he added.
The Saudi prince also mentioned new labor reforms, hoping that they would help foreign workers find flexible job opportunities.
“We have recently undergone significant labor reforms which have improved to a great extent the flexibility of third country labor within the Saudi labor market. They are now free to transfer their work from one employer to other,” he said.
Pakistani experts say their country needs to train its human resource to suit the market requirements of other countries.
“Apart from the construction sector, foreign countries are now demanding knowledge-based labor,” Haroon Sharif, member of the prime minister’s task force on economic diplomacy, told Arab News.
“It is imperative for us to provide new and specialized training to our workforce in view of the changing demand in international markets and our universities can play a pivotal role in that,” he continued. “We can also achieve the desired objective by involving the countries for which we are training our labor force.”


PM Sharif forms committee to resolve Pakistani wheat farmers’ grievances 

Updated 39 min 52 sec ago
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PM Sharif forms committee to resolve Pakistani wheat farmers’ grievances 

  • Farmers are demanding government stop wheat imports that have flooded markets, leading to reduced prices
  • Government committee to take measures to address farmers’ complaints within four days, says state media 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week formed a government committee to address the ongoing wheat crisis in the country, state-run media said, amid protests by thousands of farmers who say they are facing difficulties in selling and buying the food grain in Pakistan.

Farmers in Pakistan’s most prosperous Punjab province are demanding the government stop wheat imports that have flooded the market at a time when they expect bumper crops. The import of wheat in the second half of 2023 and the first three months of 2024 has resulted in excess amounts of the commodity leading to reduced prices, they say. 

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday taking notice of the issues faced by the farmers in selling their wheat and obtaining wheat bags, formed a committee under Ministry of National Food Security and Research to address their grievances,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. 

Sharif issued the directives to form the committee during a high-level meeting he chaired on Saturday to review wheat procurement matters through the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO). The meeting was attended by federal ministers Rana Tanveer Hussain, Attaullah Tarar, and other officials.

The committee would take measures to address farmers’ concerns within four days, APP said, adding that Sharif expressed concerns over reports of farmers facing difficulties in buying wheat at “fair” prices and tasked authorities to resolve the issue immediately. 

“The federal government, through PASSCO, is procuring 1.8 million metric tons of wheat to ensure maximum benefit to farmers,” the APP quoted Sharif as saying. 

“The prime minister emphasized that the government will not compromise on the economic protection of farmers and will take all necessary steps to ensure their well-being.”

Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and constitutes its largest sector. The majority of Pakistan’s population, directly or indirectly, depends on agriculture for their income. 

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), agriculture contributes about 24 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for half of the employed labor force in the country. 
 


Pakistan face South Korea in Azlan Shah field hockey tournament today

Updated 57 min 22 sec ago
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Pakistan face South Korea in Azlan Shah field hockey tournament today

  • Pakistan began tournament on winning note after beating Malaysia 5-4 on Saturday
  • The 30th edition of the prestigious tournament is being played in Malaysia’s Ipoh city

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will face South Korea in the Sultan Azlan Shah field hockey cup today, Sunday, after beginning the tournament on a winning note a day earlier by beating hosts Malaysia, state-run media reported. 

The 30th edition of the prestigious field hockey tournament is being played in Ipoh, Malaysia from 4-11 May. The cup will be contested between six teams, namely Canada, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Korea.

Pakistan’s national hockey team made a triumphant start to the tournament on Saturday, defeating hosts Malaysia by 5-4 in a thrilling match.

“The Pakistan hockey team would face South Korea in their second match on Sunday (May 5),” state-run media Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. 

Pakistan have the upper hand against South Korea as far as the head-to-head record is concerned. The South Asian country has won 14 matches in total against Korea while the latter has won eight. Both teams have drawn with each other six times. 

Pakistan’s hockey team came from behind on Saturday to down Malaysia 5-4 to win the contest. Sufiyan Khan, Pakistan’s drag flicker, scored a hat-trick while Zakriya Hayat and Abu Bakar Mahmood contributed one goal each to the team’s victory.

The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 will see a round-robin stage at first where all six teams will play each other once, followed by positional playoffs. 

The teams finishing in the bottom two places of the league stage will contest in a fifth-place classification match. Teams finishing in third and fourth place in the pool stage will compete for bronze, while the top two teams will play in the final for the title. 

The match is scheduled to begin at 3:15 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time (PST).


Saudi business delegation to arrive in Pakistan today to explore investment opportunities 

Updated 05 May 2024
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Saudi business delegation to arrive in Pakistan today to explore investment opportunities 

  • Saudi deputy investment minister, representatives of 30-35 Saudi companies part of delegation, says Pakistani minister
  • Saudi Arabia recently reaffirmed its commitment to expedite investment package for Pakistan worth $5 billion

ISLAMABAD: A high-level Saudi business delegation led by the Kingdom’s deputy investment minister will arrive in Pakistan today, Sunday, to explore investment opportunities in various economic sectors, Federal Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik confirmed a day earlier. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, who enjoy fraternal ties rooted deep in shared culture, religion and economic cooperation, have witnessed a flurry of official visits in recent weeks. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan traveled to Islamabad earlier in April before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s two-day visit to the Kingdom to attend a World Economic Forum meeting where he met Saudi officials. 

“The Saudi Deputy Investment Minister is visiting Pakistan tomorrow,” Malik, who is also the focal person for Saudi-Pak bilateral collaboration, told reporters at a news conference in Lahore on Saturday. 

“He is bringing representatives from 30 to 35 companies whose CEOs are coming here.”

The Pakistani minister maintained his country had always cherished cordial ties with the Kingdom, though it had not managed to turn this “relationship of friendship into a relationship of stability and progress.”

He said Pakistan mostly discussed its financial concerns with the Saudi authorities and requested their support. However, the present government wanted to change that by focusing its bilateral conversations on mutually beneficial progress and development, not aid and assistance.

The minister said the two sides discussed a new refinery project during the recent engagements that would be used for export purposes to earn foreign revenue. Additionally, food security was also discussed to further strengthen Pakistan’s agricultural sector.

He informed that Prime Minister Sharif wanted the country’s “private sector to take the lead on this path to progress.”

“That is why Saudi investors have been invited to come here,” he continued. “They will sit with Pakistani companies and figure out ways to connect the Pakistani talent with the capital and investment needed at the international level for the IT revolution.”

Malik said the bilateral collaboration would primarily benefit small businesses, particularly the technology companies established by young students who were likely to get a significant amount of investment from Saudi entrepreneurs.

He expressed optimism that chemical, energy and agricultural companies would also gain an advantage from the ongoing bilateral collaboration between the two sides.

Apart from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s fraternal ties, the Kingdom is particularly important to Islamabad as it is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.

Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been closely working to increase bilateral trade and investment deals, and the Kingdom recently reaffirmed its commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion.


Pakistan urges Hajj pilgrims to get vaccinated five days before departure to Saudi Arabia

Updated 05 May 2024
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Pakistan urges Hajj pilgrims to get vaccinated five days before departure to Saudi Arabia

  • Pakistani pilgrims require to vaccinate themselves against meningitis, seasonal influenza and polio
  • The vaccinations are done at Hajji camps during the day in all major cities around the country

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry on Saturday asked Hajj pilgrims to get themselves vaccinated at least five days before departure to Saudi Arabia to avoid inconvenience.
Hajj pilgrims must comply with strict vaccination requirements set by the Saudi Ministry of Health to ensure public safety during one of the world’s largest annual gatherings.
Mandatory vaccines include the meningitis shot, with additional recommendations for the seasonal influenza vaccine, while travelers from regions prone to yellow fever and polio must also provide corresponding immunization certificates.
These precautions are vital to prevent the spread of infectious diseases among millions of pilgrims converging in the kingdom from across the globe.
“The intending pilgrims are advised to visit their respective Hajji camps five days (from 9 am to 5 pm) before their flight to receive vaccination against meningitis, seasonal influenza and polio, besides obtaining a yellow card,” the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency quoted a statement issued by the ministry.
“This is a mandatory requirement,” it added.
Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which include the core beliefs and practices every Muslim is expected to follow.
The pilgrimage is required to be performed at least once in a lifetime by all adult Muslims who meet the necessary conditions of health and financial stability to travel to and perform the rituals in Makkah.
Pakistan plans to launch the special Hajj flight operation from May 9 that will continue until June 10.


Security forces kill six militants in northwest Pakistan

Updated 04 May 2024
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Security forces kill six militants in northwest Pakistan

  • The intelligence-based operation was carried out in North Waziristan that led to an intense exchange of fire
  • The targeted militants were involved in violent attacks against security forces and civilians in the volatile area

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces carried out an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan tribal district in the early hours of Saturday, killing six militants after a heavy exchange of fire.
Located in the tribal belt along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, North Waziristan has historically been known as a volatile region with significant militant activity.
The Pakistani military carried out several major operations in the area to dismantle militant networks and had success in reducing violence.
However, there have been reports of renewed militant activities in the region, prompting the Pakistani security forces to once again increase its focus on these challenges.
“On night 3/4 May 2024, security forces conducted an intelligence based operation in North Waziristan District, on reported presence of terrorists,” the military’s media wing, ISPR, said in a statement.
“During the conduct of operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and the terrorists,” it continued, adding that six militants were killed as a result.
The statement informed that the security forces also destroyed militant hideout during the operation and launched a “sanitization operation” in the area while trying to locate any remnants of the militant group.
“The killed terrorists remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as target killings of innocent civilians in the area,” the ISPR added.