A Reuters file photo of passengers at an airport.
The trend is also expected to continue next year as well.
This was disclosed by the Protectorate of Emigrants Rawalpindi Region Director Rafiq Bismal in an interview with The Express Tribune.
Explaining the drain of manpower from the garrison city, the official said that apart from the poor economic conditions in the country, there has been high demand for manpower internationally.
Countries such as Romania and Qatar have sought cheap labourers and technicians from Pakistan over the past year, he said. The tiny Gulf nation, which relaxed visa policies for Pakistanis earlier, needs manpower to complete work on several projects as it gets ready to the FIFA Football World Cup in 2022.
“[Emigration to Qatar] this will help generate heavy foreign exchange [for Pakistan],” Bismal hoped.
The emigration official continued that even as Central Asia and even Far East Asia opens up as a destination for Pakistani migrant workers, most people were still going to the traditional migrant working hotspots in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Emigration facilities
Asked about the facilities on offer at his office, which processes hundreds of thousands of cases each year, Bismal said that they have completely upgraded the bureau’s office in Rawalpindi with all systems completely computerised while they have also set up 18 biometric counters.
The benefit of doing this, the official claimed, is that it has brought to a grinding halt the malpractices and corruption. Moreover, he said that the registration process is now completed within just two hours
Talking about the outcomes of the one-window operation, he said that it had made working easier apart from providing benefits to overseas employment promoters.
Regarding the fee structure, he said that an applicant has to pay around Rs7,200 in registration fees, including the Rs2,500 for insurance.
He added that this insurance ensures that in case of an accident, the applicant’s family is paid a claim of up to Rs1 million.
Asked about their workflow, he said that all cases on the day are entertained and completed in three phases. The first phase is completed by 1pm, the second one by 3 pm and the last one by 5pm when the day ends, he explained.
Bismal said that there were a total of 843 registered overseas employment agents in Rawalpindi. However, he said that licences of 13 of them had been cancelled following public complaints. These licence holders are currently facing an inquiry, he said.
The official added that none of the promoters could publish an advertisement for overseas employment without first procuring a licence and a permission certificate.
Bismal further said that the demand is cross-checked and confirmed from all the relevant sources after which they sign a contract with the promoter.
To protect the public from fraudulent practices, the director said that details of all promoters, as well as the demand for labour which they received, was uploaded on to their official website.
This was done so that people cannot be defrauded, he added.
He asserted that Pakistanis were quite hardworking when compared to migrant workers from other countries such as India, the Philippines or Bangladesh. The official added that labourers from other countries agree ready to work on lower wages but Pakistanis never compromise on it.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2019.
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