A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis learned that a significant number of expats are involved in begging.
Secretary of Overseas Pakistanis, Zeeshan Khanzada, shared some concerning statistics on the country's overseas population before the Senate panel on Wednesday.
He revealed that a significant number of Pakistanis abroad are involved in begging which results in legal issues for them.
Senator Rana Mahmood ul Hassan raised the issue of Pakistan's relatively low representation among skilled workers in countries like Japan.
He mentioned that Japan had requested 340,000 skilled workers from various countries, but only 200 Pakistanis had been sent.
This raised concerns about the underutilization of the country's workforce in foreign job markets.
Khanzada explained that Pakistan had about one million overseas citizens, but India and Bangladesh had more significant numbers abroad.
He noted that Pakistan had established a skilled centre in Saudi Arabia and that many Pakistanis were working in countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.
Regarding job readiness, the secretary revealed that many Pakistanis were willing to pay substantial amounts to secure employment opportunities abroad, even up to Rs5 million.
He also mentioned an agreement with Japan in 2019 which focused on providing language training to Pakistani workers to meet the language requirements of host countries.
Senator Sherry Rehman emphasized the need for Pakistanis to enhance their skills. She compared the situation to Nepal which had been sending mountain guides to Pakistan.
She expressed concerns about the skill level of Pakistani workers and the need for comprehensive training programs.
The ministry's secretary also highlighted a troubling issue. He stated that a significant number of Pakistanis involved in begging overseas had faced legal troubles.
He shared that 90% of beggars arrested abroad were of Pakistani origin.
Additionally, he mentioned that both Iraqi and Saudi ambassadors had reported that their jails were overcrowded due to such arrests.
Khanzada also noted that many pickpockets caught inside the Haram in Saudi Arabia were Pakistanis, and they often travelled on Umrah visas for begging purposes.
