ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has sent more than 3,500 doctors and health professionals to Kuwait during the pandemic, the prime minister’s adviser on overseas Pakistanis said on Thursday.
Pakistan and Kuwait signed an initial agreement for 600 Pakistani medical professionals to work in the Gulf state in July 2020. After that more Pakistani health workers found employment in Kuwait.
“Pakistan has sent more than 3500 doctors, nurses, and technicians to Kuwait during the pandemic and 3000 more are in the pipeline, while at the same time, KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) is recruiting hundreds of medical professionals too,” the PM’s aide, Ayub Afridi said, as quoted in a statement by his office.
Kuwait had suspended visas for nationals from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2011 over what it said was difficult security conditions in the five countries.
Pakistan began visa resumption talks with Kuwait in early 2020, after which the first group of nurses, doctors and medical technicians traveled to the Gulf state in October that year.
More groups had gone since, as talks continued, and in mid-2021, the Gulf state resumed issuing business and family visas for Pakistani nationals.
Pakistan sent over 3,500 medical workers to Kuwait during pandemic — PM aide
https://arab.news/88y9j
Pakistan sent over 3,500 medical workers to Kuwait during pandemic — PM aide
- Pakistan and Kuwait signed an agreement for 600 Pakistani medical professionals in July 2020
- Kuwait began issuing business and family visas to Pakistanis in mid-2021, after a decade of suspensions
Pakistan reviews austerity measures amid Middle East crisis, urges strict nationwide implementation
- Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar chairs review meeting of austerity steps
- Officials briefed on salary cuts, school closures, four‑day week, petrol conservation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Wednesday assessed progress on a sweeping set of austerity measures introduced to mitigate the country’s economic strain from sharply rising global oil prices and supply disruptions linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week announced a series of austerity steps, including a four‑day work week for government offices, requiring 50 percent of staff to work from home, cutting fuel allowances for official vehicles by half, grounding up to 60 percent of the government fleet and closing all schools for two weeks to conserve fuel amid the global oil crisis.
The measures were unveiled in response to global oil market volatility triggered by the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has disrupted supply routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and pushed crude prices sharply higher, straining Pakistan’s heavily import‑dependent energy sector.
“The meeting stressed the importance of strict and transparent adherence to the austerity measures, promoting fiscal responsibility and prudent use of public resources,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar said in a statement.
He was chairing a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, constituted under the directions of the PM, bringing together federal and provincial officials to review execution of the broad cost‑cutting plan.
Dar emphasized the government’s commitment to enforcing the PM’s austerity steps nationwide. The committee’s review also covered reductions in departmental expenditure, deductions from salaries of senior officials earning over Rs. 300,000 ($1,120), and coordination with provincial administrations to ensure uniform implementation of the plan.
Participants at the meeting reiterated that all ministries and divisions must continue strict monitoring and reporting, with transparent oversight mechanisms, as Pakistan navigates the economic pressures from the prolonged Middle East crisis and its fallout on global energy and trade markets.
