The assurance came during a meeting in Riyadh between Pakistan’s Minister of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, and Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development for International Affairs, Dr Adnan Abdullah Al-Najjar.
According to the report, the Saudi side said it would extend full cooperation to speed up visa processing for Pakistani workers, provide maximum facilities to them, and consider recommendations relating to the Pakistani workforce. The discussion covered the practical steps needed to make the process faster and smoother for workers and the companies that employ them.
The two ministers also discussed expanding employment opportunities, vocational training and technical education, the protection of workers’ rights, and reducing travel costs. The talks were therefore wider than visas alone, touching on the training workers receive before they travel and the conditions they can expect once they arrive.
Chaudhry Salik Hussain thanked the Saudi leadership for its services to Pakistani workers and said Pakistan’s skilled workforce had played an important role in Saudi development. His remarks underlined the long-standing contribution of Pakistani workers to construction, services and other sectors in the Kingdom.
The meeting was part of the minister’s official visit to Saudi Arabia. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Farooq, senior Pakistani and Saudi officials, and representatives of companies employing Pakistani workers also attended, reflecting the range of interests involved in the labour relationship between the two countries.
Saudi Arabia hosts a large Pakistani workforce, and the speed of visa processing matters directly to families waiting for a breadwinner to take up a job abroad. Delays in visas can mean lost income and missed opportunities, so a commitment to faster processing is significant for workers and their families alike.
The discussion of vocational training and technical education also points to a longer-term aim: preparing Pakistani workers with the skills Saudi employers need, so that they can secure better-paid and more stable work. Combined with the talks on workers’ rights and travel costs, the meeting covered the full journey of a worker from training in Pakistan to employment in Saudi Arabia.
Whether the assurance translates into visibly faster visas will become clear in the coming weeks as workers and recruitment agents test the new process. For now, the meeting signals that both governments are treating the welfare and mobility of Pakistani workers as a shared priority.
