ISLAMABAD: Responding to a surge of fake posts advertising jobs in the UAE, Pakistan’s government issued a warning to its nationals seeking jobs in the Middle East.
Through a post on Twitter, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD) shared screen grabs of “fake” Dubai-based job adverts, advising people not to make any payments to the firms.
“Beware: Illegal Advertisement for Foreign Jobs. People are advised to not fall for these scams. Stay tuned for updates. Action initiated against the gang,” the MOPHRD tweeted on Monday.
According to the state-run news agency, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE) had barred 12 foreign recruiting firms from hiring Pakistani workforce in June this year “for not ensuring the promised jobs, timely and agreed salaries, besides issuance of fake visas.”
In June this year, both Pakistan and the UAE agreed to set up a joint platform to facilitate overseas Pakistani workers.
Under the joint initiative, both countries agreed on the need for Pakistani workers to sign an ‘employment job offer’ with the UAE-based employer before moving to the UAE, in order to avoid any fraud and job scams.
According to official statistics, more than 1.6 million Pakistani expatriates live in the UAE and work in different public and private departments and the remit over $4 billion annually to the country.
Pakistan warns scammers against advertising fake jobs in the UAE
Pakistan warns scammers against advertising fake jobs in the UAE
- Says action against bogus recruiting agents has been initiated.
- Around 12 foreign recruiting firms were barred from hiring Pakistani workforce in June this year.
Suicide bomber kills at least five at wedding in northwest Pakistan
- Attack took place in Dera Ismail Khan, targeting the home of a local peace committee member
- Peace committees are community-based groups that report militant activity to security forces
PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber killed at least five people and wounded 10 others after detonating explosives at a wedding ceremony in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, officials said, in an attack that underscored persistent militant violence in the country’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The blast took place at the home of a local peace committee member in Dera Ismail Khan district, where guests had gathered for a wedding, police and emergency officials said.
Peace committees in the region are informal, community-based groups that work with security forces to report militant activity and maintain order, making their members frequent targets of attacks.
“A blast occurred near Qureshi Moor in Dera Ismail Khan. Authorities have recovered five bodies and shifted 10 injured to hospital,” said Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the provincial Rescue 1122 emergency service, adding that the rescue operation was ongoing.
Police said the attacker blew himself up inside the house during the ceremony and that the bomber’s head had been recovered, confirming it was a suicide attack.
Several members of the local peace committee were present at the time, raising fears the toll could rise.
District Police Officer Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada said authorities had launched an investigation into the incident, while security forces sealed off the area.
Militant attacks have surged in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the Taliban returned to power in neighboring
Afghanistan in 2021, with the administration in Islamabad blaming the Afghan government for “facilitating” cross-border attacks targeting Pakistani civilians and security forces. However, Kabul has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also seen frequent intelligence-based operations by security forces targeting suspected militants.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack.
