2.5 million Pakistanis sent abroad for employment in past three years, says ministry

Nearly 2.5 million Pakistanis travelled abroad over the past three years for employment, revealed a report by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis released on Monday.

Nearly 0.8 million people travelled abroad in the year 2014, while the total number of Pakistanis travelling abroad in the years 2015 and 2016 were 0.92 million and 0.82 million respectively.

The report further showed that the number of Pakistanis sent abroad for employment exceeded the number of Bangladeshis and Indians sent by their respective government during the same tenure.

The majority of Pakistanis who went abroad for employment travelled to the Gulf countries, the report said.

Those who went abroad for employment included doctors, engineers, agricultural experts and cooks among others.

The government is taking steps to find more jobs for Pakistanis in foreign countries, the report said, adding that 10 thousand Pakistanis were given additional visas to Qatar during the tenure of the incumbent government.

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aleem

Mar 13, 2017 04:10pm

Wrong priority once again by this government. They should try to create conditions so that educated people come back to motherland to improve things here in pakistan. All the countries try to stop the brain drain and here we are trying to send all the educated people abroad to serve other countries. There are not enough trained doctors in pakistan and very highly trained Pakistani doctors are working in Gulf and western countries as there are lack of opportunities, corruption in appointments, lack of equipment and lack of progression opportunities in Pakistan. Incompetent people are made ministers and people get jobs on the basis of whom they know in political parties. Educated people are not able to tolerate this degradation and humiliation and prefer to stay abroad instead. There is no hope from this political leadership to change things but we do hope for the best in future.

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KHALID YOUSAFZAI (UK)

Mar 13, 2017 04:26pm

@aleem you are so right. I left my beautiful and great country due this. I wish to come back, but when the corruption stops atleast by 5% even.

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Dr.Arshad

Mar 13, 2017 04:27pm

@aleem ........Agreed. It implies that this government has failed miserably in creating jobs .

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Salmam

Mar 13, 2017 04:30pm

2.5 million sent to abroad on job visa but the remittances were falling in the same period! Very strange??

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M.Saeed

Mar 13, 2017 04:32pm

Our Govt. collects fees from all workers going abroad for employment and 2.5 million workers sent in 3 years each paid Rs. 10,500 OEP's fee, which comes to a total of Rs 26.25 billion. What is the result of such a heavy fee collected when thousands of workers are left to rot in foreign lands without any 'Protection' by our Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment?

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Mar 13, 2017 04:32pm

Because Government of Pakistan badly failed to give them jobs, so they went abroad by their own sources. As myself have paid the visa expenses for two of my relatives and sent them to Saudi Arabia.

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KHALID YOUSAFZAI (UK)

Mar 13, 2017 04:38pm

@M.Saeed what a great wise calculation you have done. In reality NO ONE CAN CHALLANGE OUR CORRUPT SYSTEM.

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kahn

Mar 13, 2017 04:34pm

Big amount accumulated with Pakistan Overseas Foundation

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AHA

Mar 13, 2017 04:38pm

it not 'sent' it is actually people fleeing the country. Also look at vast majority who are labors in gulf. This is not a pride rather it is shame. Country miserably failed to create job opportunities.

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AhMAd

Mar 13, 2017 04:42pm

If no. of people leaving Pakistan is increasing that means they are not finding jobs in Pakistan. This is very much bad situation and Pakistan govt. is taking credit for it. In case of India, I see numbers going down since 2014 and that suggest that brain drain is slowing down.

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Tariq Lahore

Mar 13, 2017 04:47pm

Net migration from Pakistan of skilled and general labour force due to incompetent leadership's in their inability to provide job opportunities to their aspiring youth. No end to this trend in the foreseeable future as long as corruption is rife in all spheres of life. Whilst Indians, professionals and skilled force are now returning back 'home' as their 'public' has acquired good sense to choose wise leaders to lead them!

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Rocky

Mar 13, 2017 05:18pm

expecting people to remit their savings to own country is foolishness!! if they r not remitting.. then they r planning to settle outside!

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Rocky

Mar 13, 2017 05:20pm

number wont give u ground reality! what kind of people travelling?? blue colar or white colar??

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Truth by change

Mar 13, 2017 05:22pm

@AHA "This is not a pride rather it is shame." Very correct. The problem is Government thumping their back on this issue, whereas, it is the failure of any government if their citizen do not have job opportunities or find appreciate jobs at their homeland. During same period Indian fleeing reduced considerably and coz they find good jobs and preferred India to work.

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SAB

Mar 13, 2017 05:25pm

Interesting to note will be how many of them went abroad through overseas Pakistanis ministry or with the support of government. They are just giving number of Pakistanis who registered themselves for overseas employment and government is trying to take credit out of it.

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Naveed Iqbal

Mar 13, 2017 06:07pm

Just send them abroad do not try to find a solution to let them work for country welfare. Remember, the output that will be brought by them in foreign countries is lesser than that might accomplish locally.

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Seriously?

Mar 13, 2017 06:54pm

Could we have a split of skilled vs unskilled workers sent abroad please?

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sm USa

Mar 13, 2017 06:56pm

it is simple there is no job in Pakistan ,more job in india that by less indian in abroad !!!

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abdullah

Mar 13, 2017 08:01pm

This survey is useless.i travelled to dubai 3 times in the last year on 3 months visit visa each time my profession was put as sales professional.and i was asked why i was travelling.i had to say that i was travelling for employment because thats what was mentioned.by professon i am a procuremnt manager.

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Saif zulfiqar

Mar 13, 2017 08:07pm

@sm USa, There are more Indians in Kuwait, Oman,UAE , Saudi Arabia and Qatar than Pakistanis.

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Pak PATRIOT

Mar 13, 2017 08:21pm

This is not an achievement, it is a National disgrace. our thinking is warped. The people should hold the elected politicians accountable everyday for creating jobs, by attracting big foreign business to come in and invest. Saudi Arabia is investing $ Billions in Egypt, Indonesia and Malaysia, not in Pakistan. Saudi Arabia is investing $ in madressah's, so Pakistanis can get drowned in religion. It seems they don't want us to progress, but we are good to defend their borders ?

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Alba

Mar 13, 2017 08:30pm

"Number of Pakistanis exceeds the number of Bangladeshis, Indians sent abroad for employment during the same period." _ So what does that tell us? I know what it tells me.

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Alba

Mar 13, 2017 08:35pm

"All the countries try to stop the brain drain and here we are trying to send all the educated people abroad to serve other countries. " _ They are not going to other countries to serve other countries. They are going abroad to serve themselves. It is purely self interest. Some even tell themselves they are coming back, but that is just to sooth their egos.

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Alba

Mar 13, 2017 08:37pm

@KHALID YOUSAFZAI (UK) ... I must know 3,000 immigrants in America who claimed they are going back. Maybe 2

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Alba

Mar 13, 2017 08:43pm

@M.Saeed ..... .... That is very fair criticism.

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Alba

Mar 13, 2017 08:47pm

@HU ... .... Businessmen provide jobs not government. Government's job is to provide incentives for business men and women to provide jobs. If you want to see things change for the better tell Nawaz Sharif to copy the Small Business Administration in America. That's where Pakistanis can go in America to borrow money to start new businesses. Even if they only want to provide jobs for other Pakistanis they can go there. It is all about increasing the tax base. Only if no one pays income taxes in Pakistan maybe there is no incentive for Nawaz Sharif to create a small business administration.

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Alba

Mar 13, 2017 08:52pm

@AHA .... If you want a job in Pakistan that depends on who your father is, or who your uncle is. You have adopted an English parliamentary democracy without adopting the spirit of democracy.

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Alba

Mar 13, 2017 09:01pm

@AhMAd .... There is no correlation between India's improved economy and the number of Indians going abroad. There is however a large differential between Indians returning to India to start new businesses and Pakistanis returning to Pakistan to start new businesses.

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Alba

Mar 13, 2017 09:10pm

@Pak PATRIOT .... ... "Saudi Arabia is investing $ Billions in Egypt, Indonesia and Malaysia, not in Pakistan. " _ Because Pakistan is not a safe place to live, no matter what your interior minister and COAS are telling you. Foreigners do nor feel safe in Pakistan.

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Khan USA

Mar 13, 2017 09:58pm

Seems like fake data !

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Mohammad khan

Mar 13, 2017 10:58pm

Pakistani minister should be ashamed, not bragGing about sending that many pakistani abroad for to find work. Pakistan has all the resources to make employment available in pakustan to those seeking emplyment. But the government has failed on every front; from population explosion, providing good education to its citizens, to industrialize the country, so on. They are busy stealing. Imagine one hoarding 750 million rupees, imagine two constables amass more than 4 billion rupees of assets so on and so forth. The country is sinking and the leaders are stealing and luving in luxury.

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waleed rajput

Mar 13, 2017 11:09pm

that is bad news for pakistan .

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Pragmatic approach

Mar 13, 2017 11:21pm

@aleem .Mr Aleem Pakistani working abroad,are in fact the most neglected and deprive people.At home they see the blue eyed cronies getting jobs without merit,but only criteria they have is either a relative of MPA/MNA,or political affiliation to certain political party.Under the corrupt,dysfunctional, system there is no hope at home for better jobs,therefore number of overseas Pakistanis are greater than India/ BD. Let more & more Pakistanis proceed abroad for works & studies,and Ministry for Overseas Pakistan must provide more convenience and support to Overseas Pakistanis,as they send their hard earned money to home.

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Pragmatic approach

Mar 13, 2017 11:40pm

@Alba .There is no need for being so pessimistic,after all 22 crores people are living in Pakistan,let CPEC completion,let the SC verdict be anounced,let a proper brake be applied to corruption,and let there be an election by way of 'proportionate representations'all then will be well.Be optimist please.

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taha

Mar 13, 2017 11:47pm

Great, These workers are supposed to send money back and corrupt politicians at home can stay afloat . Nice job.

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Adi

Mar 14, 2017 06:06am

No govt in the developing world can find jobs for all with such high population growth rate. So its better that people find jobs in other countries. Still we need to establish industry in our country to create jobs.

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