ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s minister for overseas Pakistanis said on Sunday Islamabad was ready to sign a proposed labor cooperation agreement with Kuwait, potentially during an upcoming visit by the Kuwaiti crown prince.
The commitment was conveyed by Chaudhry Salik Hussain, the federal minister for overseas Pakistanis, during a meeting with Rabab Abdullah Al-Othaimi, director general of Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower, according to a statement shared by the minister on X.
The discussions come as Pakistan seeks to secure overseas employment opportunities for its workers amid domestic economic pressures, while Gulf states continue to rely heavily on expatriate labor for infrastructure and services. Overseas employment remains a key source of remittances for Pakistan, which are critical to supporting foreign exchange reserves and household incomes.
“Pakistan views its long-standing and strong relations with Kuwait with great respect and is ready to sign the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on labor, which can be finalized during the visit of Kuwait’s Crown Prince to Pakistan,” Hussain said in an X statement.
An exact date for the visit has not yet been announced.
The meeting reviewed outcomes of recent high-level exchanges and what the minister described as a constructive response from Kuwaiti authorities toward expanding labor cooperation. Hussain also requested access for Pakistan to Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) digital portal, the government-run system used to process foreign worker recruitment, work permits and employer registrations.
Access to the PAM portal would allow Pakistani authorities and licensed overseas employment promoters to interface directly with Kuwait’s labor system, helping streamline recruitment, reduce delays and curb illegal or informal hiring practices.
Hussain said Pakistani workers had played an important role in Kuwait’s development in the past and had the capacity to meet future demand, particularly in infrastructure and other key sectors.
Both sides agreed to advance labor cooperation in line with strong bilateral ties and to institutionalize regular consultations and contacts, the statement said.
Pakistan has been seeking to formalize labor frameworks with Gulf partners to expand skilled and semi-skilled employment channels abroad, strengthen worker protections and improve transparency in overseas recruitment, as it looks to stabilize remittance inflows and ease domestic unemployment pressures.
