150,000 visas for skilled workers for Belarus
The government’s agencies and departments countering human trafficking and illegal immigration are fearing the mounting challenges and risky situation in the wake of the recently-signed Pakistan-Belarus job agreement.
In April this year, PM Shehbaz Sharif visited Belarus where a bilateral agreement was signed, promising over 150,000 employment opportunities for skilled Pakistani workers in various sectors, including IT, healthcare, construction, and engineering in the East European country.
Under the current situation, interest in traveling to Belarus has increased significantly, to the point that the Belarus consulate in Islamabad had to stop accepting applications, according to the sources.
The uncontrolled influx of the Pakistani citizens to Belarus is probably due to their desire to get further to Europe, said a senior official of the Ministry of Interior requesting anonymity.
Moreover, the new data from the Eastern Europe reveals that between January 1 and June 22 this year, nearly 14,000 illegal border-crossing attempts were recorded at the Belarus-Poland border, with Pakistani nationals among the top eight nationalities involved, according to statistics.
These developments come in sharp contrast to the optimism generated during Prime Minister’s visit.
However, nearly two and a half months since the signing, the agreement remains largely unimplemented, revealed an official on Friday.
The Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE) has neither issued formal guidelines nor initiated any coordination with Belarusian authorities or certified recruiting agencies. No feasibility report or cost-benefit analysis has been carried out to evaluate the viability, risks, or logistical aspects of deploying such a large workforce abroad, the official added.
Meanwhile, the absence of structured legal pathways for employment abroad may be pushing desperate individuals to seek dangerous alternatives.
The Polish authorities have already detained over 150 people this year for assisting illegal border crossings, highlighting growing regional security and human trafficking concerns.
While the offer of overseas employment has generated significant interest, economic experts warn that the agreement might be overly ambitious, given Belarus’s struggling economy. Still reeling from international sanctions, Belarus has experienced stagnant growth and persistent inflation.
The country’s average monthly salary stands at around $670–$700, significantly higher than Pakistan’s average of roughly $150–$170. Moreover, Belarus’s minimum wage is approximately $200, while Pakistan’s current minimum wage ranges between PKR 32,000 and 37,000 (roughly $110–$125). In this context, the proposed minimum salary of $1,100 for Pakistani workers seems disproportionately high and raises serious questions about the Belarusian job market’s ability to accommodate and sustain such a large influx of foreign workers under those terms.
Belarus itself is treated as a transit country, he said adding it should be emphasized that the EU border is increasingly guarded, and the Pakistanis trying to cross it illegally not only spoil the image of their homeland, but also really expose themselves to the risk of losing their lives and health.
At home too, the travel agents have already started making huge sums by charging the aspiring workers who wish to travel to Belarus with dream of better life.
If the government doesn’t re-visit its plan to send 150,000 skilled workers to Belarus in three phases of 50,000 each this might further augment its woes.
“The government should take effective measures and warn the public against traveling to Belarus on their own until the details of the agreement between the two countries are agreed,” said another senior official dealing with human trafficking.
