PAIN AND DESPAIR OF OVERSEAS WORKERS

The pain and despair of Overseas Workers By: Tarique Khan Javed President,  Overseas Pakistani Investors Forum.                         Dated 05 Jan 2010               While relatives and nation rejoice at the remittances sent by Overseas Pakistanis (OP), they can not even imagine, the pain and despair OP endure everyday of their stay outside! Up to 90% of Pakistanis working in the Gulf for example are classified as Labourers and they are forced to live in sub human conditions. Living in crowded quarters housing up to 12 person per room and working 12 hours shifts outside in temperature up to 50c often fainting and dyeing. They have no rights, their passports are taken away and they can not go anywhere without sponsor’s permission. They are not allowed to go on strike even if not paid for months and thus starving. Their meagre income of under   DH 1000 per month is often not enough to pay off the large sum they spend to get there; even over years. Among these workers the condition of Taxi Drivers is better. Although, they also work 12 hours shift they earn up to DH 2,000pm and live in their accommodation, sharing room with 4 to 6 compatriots. Some illegal strikes in UAE and Qatar during 2005 and 6 and ILO pressure have brought some relief in UAE and Qatar but else where the status quo is maintained. Chances of getting permanent residence or citizenship, seems very remote and the no human right group raises this issue effectively on World Forum.  Grief of loneliness and waste of life:Overseas Pakistanis earn from USD 250, by labourers and up to USD 10,000 by top Executives, per month in the Gulf. Only 3 to 4 % live with their immediate families and are the lucky ones; rest pass time in distress and endure pain of isolation and separation from dear ones. Even highly paid Executives living in lavish houses are as sad as their low paid compatriots, if they live alone for what ever reason. The waste of their youth and chance to be happy can not be compensated by the 3 to 4 times higher earning in the distant land. In the end, all Overseas workers are net losers although to a casual observer they look like the most successful lot. The extended absence from their families leads to losing control and bonding with the family members. Upon returning many OP face strange behaviour by the dear ones and feel unwanted and unwelcome. In extreme cases, they lose their families altogether for whom they had originally gone abroad. An unending pain:The sacrifice which the Overseas Pakistanis are making since 1970s, for their families and nation could have ended by now, if we had policies like that followed by South Korea, for example; In 1970s large number of South Koreans came to work in the Oil rich Middle Eastern countries. S. Korean Cos won most of the road and other infra structure building contracts from Pakistani and Indian Cos. Thus providing lot of well paying jobs to their serving and ex service nationals. The prime objective of these Cos under government guidance was to provide income to their nationals and channel a bulk of that in national saving schemes. The terms of employment mandated that only 50% of the monthly salary will go the worker and his family while rest invested in equity funds investing in national cos only. The huge investment thus generated helped the country become 5th largest economy of the World and all S. Korean were able to return home by 1980s. In 1984, the Oil prices dropped to USD 8-10 level and S.Korea started to produce a surplus in its external trade. It was able to repay its huge debt of USD 40 billion with ease. Now, it sits on a huge surplus and is a large investor in US and European market. Mistaken priorities and its results:Instead of following the two gaps model which we pioneered and Asian tigers like S.Korea followed prospered. We fixed wrong and untimely priorities of capturing Kashmir and even Delhi by force, redistribution of meagre wealth accumulated by 1972, nationalising even schools, ginning and flour mills. We lost East Pakistan instead of getting Srinager and Delhi and massive management failures destroyed the economy and forced a large number of Pakistan to go abroad to feed their children. This was followed by our becoming tools in the fight between USA and Soviet Union during 1979 and 1988 period. As civil war erupted following Soviet withdrawal we took advantage and captured Afghanistan with the help of Taliban. This back fired when USA resolved to send Pakistan to “Stone ages” following 9/11. We begged forgiveness on both knees and agreed to do all that US demand to avoid the terrible fate, which looked straight in our eyes. Blunder after blunder has brought us where we are and the heaviest price for all these follies is paid by the Overseas Pakistanis. Instead of selling our labour and hard work we are forced to sell our people in the form of overseas workers and perform military duties for Western forces often against our own oppressed people. Bonanza of USD one trillion!! Some 6 to 8 million Overseas Pakistanis send home USD 8 billion officially and perhaps equal amount through “Hawala”, annually. This has sustained the immediate families and nation at large avoiding default situation given the huge imbalance in our external trading account. It pains a lot when one realises that Overseas Pakistanis are sitting on accumulated wealth of USD 1000 billion while, Nation begs for USD 5-10 billion from so called Friends of Pakistan and IMF. If conditions of S. Korea had prevailed there was no reason why all Overseas Pakistan had not returned by 2010. Pakistan has one of the best range of climate, balanced society and agriculture land. Why settle and invest elsewhere when your country happens to be the best option? Pakistanis as a whole and Pakhtoon in particular have a strong inclination towards their religion, culture and traditions and only settle elsewhere with lot of pain and regret. They can only weep and lament at the plight of their country and its poor people accused of all the wrong in the world. Even if they want to return despite all these, their families refuse making them helpless or leading to break up of the family itself. The democratic government has the chance to set the priorities right and make way for the return of bulk of the Overseas Pakistanis ushering in a transformation of unprecedented scale.  As a nation, we are most competitive and have excelled in all fields whether, it be top class lending Banker earning in excess of USD 10,000 pm or as labourer earning USD 300 pm. We have proved to be the best and employee of choice. There is no reason why we can not excel in our country, if we manage to bring the work here instead of going to the work abroad. Six Economic free zones needed:After S.Korea the example of communist China is before us. They agreed to allow unbridled capitalism within a Communist one party state to help their people find well paying jobs. The Leaders like Deng Zu Ping did not make it a matter of pride that they give in to the demands of the time to lay down their communist principles to help their people find jobs. We want our leaders like President Asif Zardari, Nawaz Sharif and Altaf Hussain to do the same and let the nation have at least six Free Trade Zones. In which the 11 or so government agencies and departments do not bother job providers and they get all their needs fulfilled by on Agency managing the free trade zone. The bureaucrats will oppose this proposal as they will loose chance to make money, but this is were the national leadership should intervene and do what is good for the nation at large and not worry about the small vested interest. Our three leading national leaders have closely looked into the eyes of death, during their past extended ordeals. Therefore, they may embrace the destiny and make a name in history and do what is good for the nation, without worrying much.  Let us return please!We plead that the national leadership should allow us to return and in return we will not only bring our USD one trillion wealth but also our knowledge, our extended experience and connection to attract jobs in our country instead of going to the job. Even, if earn less we prefer to be in our country and with our dear ones given a choice. We wish that the torment through which we in our generation passed is not repeated by our next generation. We also wish that the general injustice in the country due to unfair land distribution, not leasing of Katchi Abadies in towns, inflation, regressive tax policies, very slow legal system and brutal police attitude are also revised to bring general justice and  harmony  in the society. The end of injustice combined with enough well paying jobs will lead to a compassionate and peaceful society with minimal violence as already achieved in economically developed nations. This will facilitate return of Overseas Pakistanis

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OPIF may be converted into Reform Party of Pakistan in coming months. The Manifesto in this article will adopted as the Manifesto of new Political party. Adoption of Reforms recommended will change Pakistan beyond recognition. Read on.