ISLAMABAD: The government has formally requested the Saudi government to enhance the quota of Pakistani workers in the ongoing projects in the kingdom.

The request was made during the 10th session of the Pak-Saudi Joint Commission in Riyadh on Wednesday. Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan led the Pakistan team at the meeting.

According to the minutes of the meeting released by the ministry of commerce on Thursday, the Pakistani delegation urged the Saudi officials to evolve a mechanism for early resolution of problems being faced by the Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia like delay in court hearings and disposal of labour-related cases, deportation and release of prisoners who have completed their imprisonment and transportation of bodies of Pakistani workers back home.

Mr Dastgir offered the Saudi government to set up centres in Pakistan sponsored by Saudi Arabia to train Pakistani manpower according to Saudi requirements.

The Saudi team, led by Minister for Commerce and Industry Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al-Tabiah, accepted the offer and said that information about the requirement of skilled manpower would be conveyed to the Pakistan government through diplomatic channels.

The meeting agreed to activate the Saudi-Pakistan Business Council to contribute to the development of trade, economic and investment relations between the two countries.

Both sides confirmed the necessity of simplifying and easing procedures for issuing business visa in both the countries and addressing all obstacles and restrictions imposed so far.

The joint commission called upon the authorities concerned in both the countries to discuss investment opportunities in the field of renewable energy generation, including the solar energy and production of photovoltaic cells with high efficiency.

The Pakistani delegation expressed the desire for the Saudi companies having specialisation in the field of oil exploration to explore oil in Pakistan in collaboration with the OGDCL. The Saudi team said that Saudi companies would be informed of the Pakistan’s request.

The Pakistani team welcomed the Saudi decision to lift the ban on import of animals, hatching eggs and chicks from Pakistan. It offered short-term courses for Saudi veterinarians and veterinary assistants in domains related to chick quarries, and veterinary laboratories in Pakistan.

The meeting called for exchanging information between authorities concerned of the two countries in combating all types of commercial fraud and cooperate in the field of private laboratories for consumer goods. It was agreed to organise mutual fairs, business and industrial exhibition in the two countries.