ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development has issued time-bound standard operating procedures (SOPs) for signing letters of interest (LOIs) and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with international firms and governments for engagements and placements of Pakistani human resource going overseas every year and those already residing abroad.

This has been done to ensure institutional arrangements for better returns to the overseas Pakistanis as well as higher remittance flows while ensuring that unscrupulous firms do not exploit Pakistani emigrants or send abroad unqualified workers on fake certifications and documentation that earn bad name to the country among the foreign potential employers at the cost of market loss for Pakistani workers, a senior official told Dawn.

The SOPs were issued on Friday, asking relevant stakeholders and institutions for compliance. These institutions include the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE), Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF), National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC), Employees Old-Age Benefit Institution (EOBI), Workers Welfare Funds (WWF) and Director of Welfare Education.

These institutions have been conveyed that international instruments like LOIs and MOUs are important tools for improving international collaboration and that they should speed up their processing by eliminating undue and unnecessary delays.

Under the directives, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis would immediately call an inter-ministerial meeting with relevant stakeholders upon receipt of a draft from a counterpart country to provide a detailed briefing about the purpose, content, and dimensions of the proposed cooperation and develop a broad understanding of the stakeholders.

The meeting minutes would be circulated immediately among the stakeholders, including all the relevant ministries, so that they could share their formal feedback in writing.

If comments are not received within 10 days, it will be deemed that the relevant ministry or institution has no objection. However, this deadline would not apply to the ministries of finance and interior for financial and security implications.

The agreed draft will be sent to the Ministry of Law for legal vetting and then for the federal cabinet’s approval as required under the Rules of Business.

During this process, a senior officer of Grade 20 or 21 would continuously follow up on the case with the ministries and institutions concerned.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2024