ISLAMABAD – Pakistani expatriates, in various foreign counties, have sent home remittances of over $7.0 billion during the six months of the current Fiscal Year and the figure is likely to reach $11 billion by year end. Bureau of Emigration Director Rana Matloob Ahmed said this at a seminar on ‘Socio-economic development and labour emigration’, here on Tuesday.
He stated that the government is sending an annual 4,00,000 labourers to different countries of the world. According to emigration statistics from 2005 to 2010, over 1.8 million labourers were sent; including 39,371 highly qualified, 12,0857 highly skilled, 76,6803 skilled, 21,148 semi-skilled and 886,0926 un-skilled labourers.
He said that 96 percent of the labourers have been exported to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), constituting six counties, while the residual four percent have been sent to other states. During the 38 years, remittances of over $98 billion have been received. Overseas Pakistanis are working extremely hard and are playing their due role for the socio-economic development of the country.
Like other developing countries of the region, poverty and unemployment are serious challenges for Pakistan. Director General of Pakistan Manpower Institute (PMI) Muhammad Azam said that government is committed to eliminate poverty, unemployment and other related issues – which can be resolved with public help. Fruitful policies of the government have raised the ratio of remittances, which would help in developing the economic situation.
The government is fully aware of the situation and believes that unless problems, such as unemployment, illiteracy, poverty and a low level of human resource development are effectively addressed, the objective of a better tomorrow cannot be achieved. The DG said that overseas migration has been a significant avenue for employment, which is regulated primarily by market forces of supply and demand.
