ISLAMABAD: Around 250 Pakistani citizens on Sunday departed for Jeddah after being recruited for various jobs at a major energy and power plant project, a Punjab government official said.

Adnan Afzal Chattha, chairperson of the Chief Minister Punjab Task Force on Skills Development, wrote on X that a delegation of the Punjab government visited Saudi Arabia last year and met various employers in the country. He said as a result of those meetings and subsequent follow-ups, the demand for Pakistani workers were translating into actual jobs.

“Today, 250 of our Pakistani youth departed for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for employment where they will work on a major energy and power plant project,” Chattha wrote on X.

“They include safety inspectors, fabricators, welders and other workers.”

Chattha said on Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s instructions, the provincial government would provide support for the Pakistani workers’ travel and related expenses.

The official said that the Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Department and the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) ensured that these Pakistani citizens received industrial safety, HSE (health, safety and environment) and essential guidance training before departure.

He urged the Pakistani citizens to represent the country in an impressive manner in Saudi Arabia.

“Through your hard work, honesty and discipline, bring honor to your country, be a source of support for your parents and fulfill your dreams,” Chattha wrote.

Every year thousands of Pakistani citizens travel to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries for education and employment reasons.

Pakistan relies heavily on remittances from millions of Pakistanis working abroad, particularly in the Gulf states, to shore up its foreign reserves and fulfill its external obligations.