NA Committee Flags Fraudulent Activities Targeting Pakistani Workers Abroad

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development raised concerns over fraudulent activities, visa violations and welfare challenges faced by Pakistani workers abroad during a meeting held on Tuesday at the Parliament House. Chaired by Syed Rafiullah, the committee reviewed overseas employment trends and assessed the performance of Community Welfare Attachés (CWAs) across major host countries.
Members emphasized the need for urgent awareness campaigns, strict legal compliance and stronger coordination among institutions to safeguard millions of Pakistani workers. Persistent visa-related problems and recurring fraud cases were questioned, with the committee stressing that inadequate information and weak enforcement continued to expose workers to exploitation.
Briefings from CWAs highlighted mixed developments across destinations. Kuwait officials reported improved employment prospects after resolving visa disputes through a technical delegation, helping Pakistan secure a larger labour share. However, committee members expressed concern over ongoing perception issues and compliance gaps. Discussions also pointed to fraudulent recruiting companies and rising deportations, prompting calls for tougher regulations and better worker education on host-country laws, visa rules and penalties linked to drug or financial crimes.
Presentations from Saudi Arabia, including Jeddah and Riyadh, detailed welfare measures for millions of Pakistanis, covering labour disputes, end-of-service benefits, diyat cases, repatriations and coordination with local authorities. Challenges such as succession certificates, iqama-related hurdles, skills gaps and increasing competition under Saudi Vision 2030 were highlighted. The ministry informed the committee about digitised reporting systems for real-time labour analysis, revised job targets, manpower agreements, overseas job expos and business-to-business linkages with major construction firms.
Updates from the United Arab Emirates addressed repatriations, prisoner welfare, child-related cases and worker complaints, while warning against misuse of visit visas and involvement in white-collar crimes under multiple jurisdictions. The absence of a government-to-government labour agreement with the UAE was also flagged. The chair sought a report on unplaced Korean welder recruits after testing, as recommendations called for structured awareness programmes, clearer legal mandates for CWAs, transparency in expenditures, faster resolution of petitions and detailed reports on visa and jurisdictional issues.