ISLAMABAD: Riyadh has launched Labour Skills Verification Programme at its embassy in Pakistan in order to screen skilled Pakistani workers seeking employment in Saudi Arabia.

Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sajid Hussain Turi inaugurated the programme at a ceremony on Monday.

The objective of the programme is to provide quality manpower to Saudi Arabia from Pakistan, Mr Turi said while speaking at launch ceremony.

Under this programme, Pakistanis will get ample employment opportunities in major projects under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, he said.

The minister further said, “12 centers of Skills Verification Program have been established in eight cities of Pakistan.” Turi also expressed his desire to establish an excellent technical and vocational university in cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Talking about relations between the two countries, he said that the government and people of Pakistan are proud of the brotherly ties with Saudi Arabia. Currently, Saudi Arabia is the home of more than 2.3 million Pakistanis”. He said, in the past five decades, more than six million Pakistanis have gone to Saudi Arabia for employment.

He also discussed Pakistan-Saudi relations, employment opportunities for Pakistanis and other issues of bilateral importance with the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Sharif Nawaf bin Saeed al-Maliki. Sajid Hussain Turi extended his gratitude to Khadim Hurmain Sharifin for the great help to Pakistan during the flood.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2022