Islamabad, Karachi: Qatar visa facilitation centre to be operational by December

A Qatari delegation which is currently on an official visit to the federal capital on Tuesday assured that the "Visa Facilitation Centers" for intending emigrants would be operational by December this year in Islamabad and Karachi.
The development came in a backdrop of a meeting of the Qatari delegation, led by Director Management of Recruitment Support Services Major Abdullah Khalifa Al Muhanadi with Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD), here on Tuesday.
The delegation informed the Special Assistant that the facilitation centers would expedite the visa process besides, ensuring the protection of workers under the wages protection system of Qatar adding that a joint team would work on the mechanism to define skilled trades required in Qatar.
The delegation also assured Zulfikar Bukhari that Qatari recruitment agencies were being pursued to hire Pakistani labor as part of the 100,000 jobs drive.
Zulfikar Bukhari said increased job opportunities in Qatar for Pakistani manpower would pave the way to making the national economy stronger and vibrant.
Bukhari said Qatar intended to further strengthen its ties with Pakistan, which was evident from the fact that it had selected Pakistan from eight countries for setting up "Qatar Visa Center" to facilitate the aspirant manpower.
In the first phase, the Special Assistant said eight such centers would be set up in selected countries to facilitate the workers of different countries by simplifying the procedure of employee-employer contract before arriving in Qatar.
He said those centers were aimed at protecting the rights of the workforce, who faced different problems at the hands of employers.
He expressed the optimism that the center would ensure protection of workers' rights by verifying contracts, reflecting mutual understanding between them.
Currently, he said, there were around 115,000 Pakistani workers in Qatar, while it had recently announced over 100,000 more jobs for Pakistanis.