Islamabad, January 27, 2026: The Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, chaired by Syed Rafiullah, met on Tuesday in the Constitution Room of the Parliament House to review overseas employment trends, welfare issues, and the performance of Community Welfare Attachés (CWAs) posted in key destination countries.
The Committee examined challenges faced by Pakistani workers abroad and discussed measures to improve facilitation, awareness, and institutional coordination. Members of the Pakistan–EU Federation were invited as special guests, including its Chairman, Dr Parvaiz Iqbal Lohsar.
The Committee received detailed briefings from CWAs serving in the Gulf region, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia. During the briefing on Kuwait, officials informed members that employment opportunities had improved following the resolution of earlier visa-related issues through engagement with Kuwaiti authorities. A technical delegation helped address outstanding matters, enabling Pakistan to secure a significant share of new employment opportunities. However, members questioned the recurrence of such issues and stressed the need to improve Pakistan’s overall perception and compliance record abroad.
The Committee also discussed incidents involving fraudulent companies and deportations, emphasizing the need for stronger regulation and enhanced awareness among workers. Members underlined that Pakistanis travelling overseas must be fully informed about host-country laws, visa conditions, and the serious consequences of violations, including drug-related and financial crimes.
Briefings from Saudi Arabia, including Jeddah and Riyadh, highlighted the large Pakistani diaspora in the Kingdom. CWAs apprised the Committee of extensive welfare work, including the resolution of labour disputes, facilitation of end-of-service benefits, handling diyat cases, repatriation of stranded or deceased workers, and coordination with employers and local authorities. Ongoing challenges related to succession certificates, iqama issues, education facilities, and competition from other labour-sending countries under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 framework were also noted.
Members sought clarity on labour market analysis, job targeting, and engagement with employers under major development initiatives. The Ministry informed the Committee that reporting systems were being digitised to enable real-time analysis and that employment targets would be revised accordingly. Progress on manpower export agreements, human resource expos, and business-to-business engagement with major construction and development firms was also shared.
The Committee further reviewed briefings from the UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), where CWAs highlighted welfare cases involving repatriation of deceased persons, prisoners’ issues, child-related matters, and labour complaints. Members raised concerns over misuse of visit visas, jurisdictional complications in white-collar crimes, and the absence of a government-to-government labour agreement with the UAE. The issue of recruitment of welders for South Korea was also discussed, with the Chair seeking an update on complaints from candidates who were tested and interviewed but not deployed. The Ministry said a report on the matter would be submitted shortly.
The Committee made several recommendations, including the launch of structured awareness programmes for overseas workers, clarification of the legal framework for CWA extensions, transparency in expenditure under the CWA head, resolution of pending public petitions, and detailed reporting on visit-to-work visa issues and jurisdictional challenges faced abroad.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Dr Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto, Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Mr Mian Khan Bugti (virtually), Ms Erum Hamid, Ms Mah Jabeen Khan Abbasi, Ms Saeeda Jamshid, Mr Zulfiqar Ali Behan, Mr Farhan Chishti, and Ms Sofia Saeed (virtually). The Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development and senior officers of the Ministry were also present.
