No developed framework yet to deploy large workforce in Belarus

ISLAMABAD: The Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE) has not developed any framework to assess the viability of deploying large workforce in Belarus, after signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), promising 150,000 jobs for skilled Pakistani workers.

So far, there has been no public safety advisory from the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development for Pakistani workers intended to work abroad.

Details of the issue revealed that thousands of Pakistani nationals are now caught in a rising human migration crisis across Eastern Europe, using Belarus as a stepping stone to illegally enter Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. The situation has escalated rapidly after migrants, lured by promises of overseas employment, found no real job prospects in Belarus – despite a high-profile agreement signed between Islamabad and Minsk earlier this year.

The wave of migration follows Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official visit to Belarus in April, during which a MOU was signed, promising 150,000 jobs for skilled Pakistani workers in sectors such as healthcare, IT, construction, and engineering. However, more than two months later, the plan remains entirely unimplemented.

According to officials from the BE&OE, no framework has been developed, no licenced overseas employment promoters have been engaged, and no feasibility study has been conducted to assess the viability of deploying such a large workforce.

“There are no official channels or guidelines for sending workers to Belarus. Nothing has materialized since the agreement was signed,” confirmed a senior BE&OE officer, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. “In the absence of any structured migration pathway, desperate individuals are turning to illegal routes.”

Belarus, which maintains relatively relaxed visa rules for Pakistani nationals, has emerged as a preferred entry point. However, upon arrival, many migrants are met with economic hardship, rising inflation, and language barriers. With few actual job offers and no government-verified recruiters in place, migrants quickly realize they have been misled. The minimum wage of $1,100, initially cited in the bilateral agreement, appears unrealistic in a country where the average monthly salary is between $670 and $700.

Resultantly, many migrants attempt illegal crossings into neighbouring countries, including Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia, often in the hope of ultimately reaching Germany.

Migration experts and policy analysts, including those from the Centre for Migration Research Pakistan (CMRP), are calling on the government to act urgently. Recommendations include launching public awareness campaigns on the risks of irregular migration, engaging with EU authorities to ensure the humane treatment of detained migrants, and enforcing strict action against unlicensed recruiting agents under the Emigration Ordinance, 1979. There is also a growing demand for Pakistan’s missions abroad to provide emergency assistance, including temporary shelter, legal aid, and repatriation services.

Unless urgent action is taken at both diplomatic and domestic levels, thousands more may be drawn into this growing humanitarian crisis – trapped between unfulfilled promises at home and hardened borders abroad.