Some 1.7 Pakistani citizens are currently working in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), reported Omar Asghar Khan, the country's labor minister, in an interview to IRNA, the Iranian news agency.
The minister said that he recently had visited Jordan, Kuwait and the UAE to discuss with his government counterparts in those countries the problems suffered by Pakistani workers.
About 4.4 million Pakistanis are working outside of their homeland, of which almost 39 percent are employed in the Middle East and North Africa. These foreign workers send annually in excess of $1 billion to their families back home. In 1999, the Pakistani government itself was responsible for sending 97,000 people abroad for work. — (Albawaba-MEBG)
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
