Islamabad (January 27, 2026) The Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, chaired by Syed Rafiullah, met today in the Constitution Room, Parliament House, to review overseas employment trends, welfare issues and the performance of Community Welfare Attachés (CWAs) posted in key destination countries. The Committee also examined challenges faced by Pakistani workers abroad and measures required to improve facilitation, awareness and institutional coordination. The Chair welcomed members of the Pakistan–EU Federation as special invitees, including its Chairman, Dr Parvaiz Iqbal Lohsar.

2. The Committee received detailed briefings from CWAs posted in the Gulf region, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia. During the briefing on Kuwait, officials informed the Committee that employment opportunities have improved following the resolution of earlier visa-related issues through engagement with Kuwaiti authorities. The Committee was told that a technical delegation helped resolve outstanding matters and that Pakistan has secured a significant share of new employment opportunities. Members, however, questioned why recurring issues persist and emphasised the need to improve Pakistan’s overall perception and compliance record abroad.

3. The Committee also discussed incidents involving fraudulent companies and deportations, underlining the need for stronger regulation and awareness among workers. Members stressed that Pakistanis travelling abroad must be fully informed about host-country laws, visa conditions and consequences of violations, including drug-related and financial crimes.

4. Briefings from Saudi Arabia (Jeddah and Riyadh) highlighted the scale of Pakistan’s overseas presence, with millions of Pakistanis residing in the Kingdom. CWAs informed the Committee about extensive welfare work, including handling labour disputes, securing end-of-service benefits, facilitating diyat cases, arranging repatriation of stranded or deceased workers, and coordinating with employers and local authorities. The Committee noted ongoing challenges related to succession certificates, iqama issues, education facilities, and competition from other labour-sending countries under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 framework.

5. 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 are being digitised to enable real-time analysis and that employment targets would be revised accordingly. The Committee was also apprised of progress on manpower export agreements, human resource expos, and business-to-business engagement with large construction and development firms.

6. The Committee further reviewed briefings from 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 regarding visit-visa misuse, territorial jurisdiction complications in white-collar crimes, and the absence of a government-to-government labour agreement with the UAE. The issue of Korea welders’ recruitment was also discussed. The Chair sought an update on complaints raised by candidates who were tested and interviewed but not deployed. The Ministry informed the Committee that a report on the matter would be submitted shortly.

7. The Committee made several recommendations, including the need for structured awareness programmes for overseas workers, clarification of legal backing 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 abroad.

8. The meeting of the Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development 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, Sofia Saeed (virtually). The Meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development along with officers of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.