|
|
|
| April 13, 2003 | Sunday | Safar 10, 1424 |
Malaysia lifts ban on Pakistani manpower: 100,000 people required
ISLAMABAD, April 12: Pakistan will export 100,000 semi-skilled and unskilled manpower to Malaysia through public and private overseas employment promoters.
“The Malaysian government has decided to lift ban on semi-skilled and unskilled workers from Pakistan and, initially, they have allowed us to export 100,000 workers there,” said Federal Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis Mian Abdul Sattar Laleka.
Speaking at a news conference after having returned from Malaysia, he said here on Saturday he visited Kaula Lumpur as a special envoy of President Gen Pervez Musharraf and met Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Muhammad and many other senior officials with a view to further improve political and economic relations between the two countries.
He said that during his week-long visit a number of issues were discussed, including removal of trade imbalance which was currently in favour of Malaysia. “One of the issues discussed in this behalf was that we can narrow the trade imbalance by adequately exporting our manpower to Malaysia,” he said.
Giving details, he said Indonesia’s six million workers were gradually leaving the country, which had provided an opportunity to Pakistan export its workers and farmers to that country.
He said the Overseas Employment Exchange would not charge any fee for exporting semi-skilled and unskilled workers to Malaysia. However, those who would go through private promoters would have to pay certain prescribed fee, he added.
Mr Laleka said Malaysia had also decided to import 950 doctors and medical specialists from Pakistan. “We had earlier received a demand of 500 doctors from Malaysia, out of which first group of 139 doctors has left Pakistan,” the minister said.
“During my visit, I was told that Malaysia would also welcome to import teachers and professors from Pakistan,” he said, adding that the government would soon start selecting educationists for this purpose.
Similarly, he said Malaysia had also expressed its willingness to import farmers from Pakistan for palm plantation. “We have assured them that merit will be upheld for selecting manpower for Malaysia”.
Replying to a question, Mr Laleka said he went to Malaysia as part of a follow-up visit of President Musharraf who represented Pakistan in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) recently.
He said that since the president had also held bilateral meetings with the Malaysian prime minister and other senior officials, a number of issues were discussed especially to enhance trade relations.
Malaysia, the minister said, had also decided to import more Basmati rice from Pakistan along with raw cotton and some other items. Malaysia, he pointed out, was annually importing from Pakistan 50,000 tons of quality rice worth $100 million.
In reply to another question, he said Pakistan was earlier excluded from the list of exporting semi-skilled and unskilled workers because of not meeting certain standard and specification. “But now I am happy to tell you that Pakistan will join Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangladesh to also export its workers to Malaysia,” Sattar Laleka said.
The minister said he had met acting Prime Minister Datu Sri Abdullah Bin Badavi who would succeed Dr Mahathir, Minister for Primary Industry Datu Sri Chau Guimeng, Minister for Agriculture Datuk Afandi Nawavi and Minister for Human Resources Fong Chan Onn.
|
|
|
|
