Islamabad, Aug 31 (SocialNews.XYZ) The recent deportations of 21,951 Pakistanis from Gulf nations have exposed Pakistan's dependence on jobs in other nations to absorb its workforce and the resulting remittances to support its external account, local media reported.
A job in the Gulf can change the financial situation of a family in Pakistan. However, the loss of that job results in workers returning to the same weak labour market that had pushed them to take up jobs abroad, showcasing the vulnerability that is increasingly seen, as over 21,0000 Pakistanis have been deported from Gulf nations, leading Pakistani The Express Tribune reported.
According to the data presented in the Pakistan National Assembly, 21,951 Pakistanis were deported from Gulf nations between March 1-July 13. Saudi Arabia recorded the highest number, with 15,495 deportations, followed by the UAE with 3,803, while Oman deported 1,606 Pakistanis. The main reasons for the deportation of Pakistanis included "other" cases (6,662), absconding (4,628), overstay/illegal entry or stay (2,811), jail cases (1,294), lost passports (1,155), blacklist cases (968), drugs (728) and visa violations (689). The highest reported category of other for deportation has not been specified.
A recent report by Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) Professor of Economics Shujaat Farooq described Pakistan's heavy dependence on the Middle East for labour exports and remittances as a critical vulnerability.
In his Policy Viewpoint, 'The Middle East Conflict and Its Implications for Pakistani Migrant Workers', Farooq mentioned that around 0.7 million to 0.8 million Pakistanis travel to the Middle East each year, while around six million Pakistanis currently work in the region, which generates 54 per cent of Pakistan’s total remittances, The Express Tribune reported.
Farooq said that a prolonged conflict in West Asia could stop around half a million Pakistani workers from taking up jobs in the Middle East in 2026, while over half a million could be forced to travel back to Pakistan, putting immense pressure on the job market in the country, especially in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
According to the report, the remittances could drop by USD 3 billion to USD 4 billion, potentially placing pressure on the exchange rate and increasing the current-account deficit.
In February, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif admitted that the Gulf countries had stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis as mafia groups continue to export "beggars" to these nations.
Sharing a video on social media that revealed how beggars in Pakistan earn enough money to purchase houses through organised networks, Asif highlighted that this has prompted the Gulf nations to stop issuing visas to Pakistanis now, UAE's leading daily Khaleej Times reported.
The video showed a Pakistani man speaking with a child beggar and revealing how entire families work together to earn money through begging. Reacting to the video, Asif said "begging has become a profession" that is quite organised.
"There are formal contractors who recruit children, women, and fake disabled people and earn billions. This same mafia exports these beggars to Gulf countries in the thousands." He further mentioned that, fed up with this, the Gulf nations have stopped issuing visas to Pakistani nationals.
Source: IANS
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