Pakistan has intervened on behalf of its nationals in Qatar who were working on FIFA World Cup projects by asking the Gulf state to address payment issues, government officials said Thursday.
Around 150,000 Pakistanis are working in Qatar, according to the director-general of the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Pakistanis, Kashif Ahmed Noor.
“In 2015 the Qatar government had promised 100,000 jobs related to World Cup projects and more than 80,000 Pakistanis were sent to that country. We do not have further details about the individual deployment of workers,” he told Arab News.
He said that Qatari authorities had stopped paying a few companies including Descon, a Pakistan-based multinational that had taken many laborers to Doha.
“Descon got many Pakistani laborers employed but some of these individuals started facing salary issues,” he added. “We took this up with the company and asked its officials to release salaries and provide residence and food to the workers until their return to Pakistan. We also received more complaints related to these payments after the coronavirus outbreak. We have been working with the host government, employees of the company and the employers to deal with the issue.”
Pakistan’s embassy in Doha had taken up all such cases with Qatar’s Ministry of Labor, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Aisha Farooqui said. “The labor minister has also assured of his support in the resolution of such cases,” she told Arab News, adding that Descon had informed the embassy that nearly all of its employees had settled their dues with the company.
“In 2015 the Qatar government had promised 100,000 jobs related to World Cup projects and more than 80,000 Pakistanis were sent to that country. We do not have further details about the individual deployment of workers,” he told Arab News.
He said that Qatari authorities had stopped paying a few companies including Descon, a Pakistan-based multinational that had taken many laborers to Doha.
“Descon got many Pakistani laborers employed but some of these individuals started facing salary issues,” he added. “We took this up with the company and asked its officials to release salaries and provide residence and food to the workers until their return to Pakistan. We also received more complaints related to these payments after the coronavirus outbreak. We have been working with the host government, employees of the company and the employers to deal with the issue.”
Pakistan’s embassy in Doha had taken up all such cases with Qatar’s Ministry of Labor, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Aisha Farooqui said. “The labor minister has also assured of his support in the resolution of such cases,” she told Arab News, adding that Descon had informed the embassy that nearly all of its employees had settled their dues with the company.
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