ISLAMABAD: Prospects for significant increase in employment opportunities for Pakistanis in Qatar have brightened with the signing of several agreements with top Qatari companies during the just-concluded visit of Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Jawad Sohrab Malik.

The signing of the agreements with renowned Qatari firms Qatari Diyar-Saudi Bin Laden Group Construction (QD-SBG); Hamad Bin Khaled Contracting Company W.L.L (HBK); Ali Bin Ali Holding W.L.L; Sheikh Jabor Bin Mansour Bin Jabor Bin Jassim Al Thani (JMJ) Holding; Tabeeb Care Medical Services; and Al Rawnaq International Commercial Projects, marked a crucial step in strengthening bilateral relations between Pakistan and Qatar in the field of human resource development.

In addition to these agreements, Mr Malik held a meeting with Hamad Saleh Al Qamra, Chairman of Al Qamra Holding, focusing on recruitment of Pakistani manpower for various company projects.

The visit also included a tour of the View Hospital, a part of Elegancia Health Care, where the recruitment of Pakistani health professionals is under way following a recent memorandum of understanding between Elegancia Health Care and the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) of Pakistan.

The primary objective of these initiatives is to create enhanced employment opportunities for Pakistani workers in Qatar.

The special assistant highlighted the potential of Pakistan as a key manpower exporter and gave details of the government’s efforts to streamline this process through quality recruitment agencies, skill development, and addressing foreign employers’ needs, the ministry of overseas Pakistanis and human resource development said in a statement on Monday.

The heads of the Qatari companies expressed satisfaction with the Pakistani workforce and their willingness to increase Pakistani manpower in their companies, adhering to the governmental regulations of Qatar.

The meetings also focused on the growing demand for skilled labour in services, maintenance, hospitality and construction sectors following Qatar’s infrastructural development.

Mr Malik also held separate in-depth one-to-one meetings with Qatar’s Labour Minister, Interior Minister, and Qatar’s Education Minister during his three-day visit.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2024