Raja Ashfaq reaches Qatar to export skilled labour

Lahore: As part of manpower development strategy by Government of Punjab and on direction of Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab Minister for Labour & HR Raja Ashfaq Sarwar visited Doha, Qatar. He was accompanied by a highly professional team from public and private sector which included Chairman TEVTA Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, Chairman PVTC Faisal Ijaz Khan, Director HRS Global Syed Fakhar Ahmed and COO PSDF Ali Akbar Bosan. This visit exclusively focused on professional and skilled labour export for the mega constructions and development happening in Qatar for the preparation of FIFA World Cup 2020.

This visit happened in the aftermath of earlier discussion by the Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister of Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif with their Qatar Counterparts on increasing the numbers of skilled workforce from Pakistan to Qatar, increasing the current numbers from one million to 2.5 million next three years.

The delegation headed by Raja Ashfaq Sarwar had extensive meetings, which included with H.E. Abdullah Saleh Mubarak al Khulaifi, the Minister of Labour & Social Affairs, Hassan Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Legacy & Delivery, Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, MD Hamad Medical Corporation, H.E. Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Chamber of Commerce, Nasser bin Ali Al Mawlawi, President of Public Works Authority (Ashghal), representatives of four of the largest constructions companies, arranged by the Minister of Labor in Qatar and senior representatives of NESPAK, DESCON, NLC and other relevant members of the Pakistani community. The Minister for Labour Raja Ashfaq Sarwar during his meeting with his counterpart Abdullah Saleh Mubarak al Khulaifi said that the Punjab government has vowed to ensure high standard accreditation and certification of skilled labour including international standard trainings at TEVTA and PVTC.

More importantly the Labour Minister of Punjab Raja Ashfaq Sarwar assured the Qatari Government that Pakistan will now present a new concept of Skilled Workforce under One Window Operation specially the blue collar workforce with good standards of vocational trainings, security verifications, vaccination, awareness on industrial safety, basic English language and most importantly eliminating fake and visa exploiter companies and non-accredited labour export agents, he added.

This will not only build a strong image of Pakistan, but will also place Pakistani workforce on competitive basis in the Arab and Gulf countries. He was presiding a high level steering committee meeting immediately after his return from Qatar in this regard.