Number of Belarus jobs won’t exceed 10,000 mark, Senate panel told

ISLAMABAD: The workforce requirement of Belarus from Pakistan will not exceed 10,000 and it largely needs skilled labour.

This was revealed in the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis meeting held under the chairmanship Senator Zeeshan Khanzada.

The secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis has clarified that right now the total workforce requirement of Belarus is around 164,000.

For these vacancies, Belarus will give first preference to its own people. He said 150,000 jobs will be offered all over the world, out of which, Pakistan might get a share of 5,000-10,000 jobs.

He said Belarus largely needs skilled human resource and knowledge of Russian and Belarusian languages is a prerequisite for the jobs.

He said in late 2024, Pakistan and Belarus agreed, in principle, to facilitate labour migration.

During Belarusian President Aleksandr Luashenko’s visit to Pakistan on 26 November 2024, the countries signed a Roadmap 2025-27 for comprehensive cooperation that included labour mobility.

He stated the finalised draft MoU concurred during the Belarussian Expert Delegation’s visit has been shared by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and HRD with all relevant stakeholders for their No Objection Certificates (NoC).

Upon receipt of responses, the document will be submitted to the Federal Cabinet for formal approval prior to signing.

Moreover, as informed by the expert-level delegation, the MoU is expected to be formally signed during the visit of the interior minister of Belarus to Pakistan anticipated by the end of August 2025.

During the briefing, it was revealed that a total of 17,236 Pakistanis are currently detained in prisons across various countries, with the majority located in the Middle East.

The committee was further informed that 85 Pakistani prisoners are being held in Afghanistan; however, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs failed to provide details regarding the nature of crimes for which these individuals are detained.

Expressing serious displeasure over the non-provision of this critical information, the committee directed the ministry to furnish comprehensive data on all overseas Pakistanis convicted or under trial worldwide including the nature of their crimes within 15 days.

It also directed the ministry to submit a list of countries that have policies to inform Pakistani authorities about such cases, as well as those that withhold such information, for discussion in the next meeting.

The chairman committee directed the ministry to expedite efforts to finalise Prisoner Transfer Agreements with various countries to facilitate the repatriation of innocent Pakistanis trapped in legal cases abroad. Senator NasirMehmood further recommended verification of the citizenship status of the 85 Pakistanis detained in Afghanistan.

Community Welfare Attachés (CWAs) from various postings briefed the committee on the status of under-trial and convicted Pakistanis in their respective jurisdictions. The CWAs from Dubai, Doha, and Kuala Lumpur reported 3,523, 619, and 499 detainees respectively.

The committee reviewed the functioning of CWAs and directed the ministry to submit the evaluation procedures for assessing their performance, along with detailed information on all convicted and under-trial Pakistanis in each jurisdiction.

Senator Shahadat Awan raised concerns over the inadequate formatting and incomplete information provided in the working papers submitted by ministries. He stressed the need for presenting complete and accurate information in a professional manner before such a prestigious forum.

The chairman committee also observed a significant lack of coordination and data sharing between the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Overseas Pakistanis. He emphasised the importance of improving inter-ministerial cooperation for the welfare of overseas citizens.

Senator Raja Nasir Abbas highlighted the illegal detention of his relative, Ghulam Hasnain, who had proceeded for Umrah, and urged the concerned authorities to resolve the matter on a priority basis.

He also drew attention to the difficulties faced by Pakistanis traveling to Iraq, including passport confiscations and low wages for Pakistani workers.

The chairman stressed the urgent need for the enactment of a Consular Protection Act to safeguard the rights of Pakistani prisoners abroad.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025