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RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 6606

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 001712 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EINV EAID PGOV PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM TO REVERSE BRAIN DRAIN 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  On July 15, President Zardari launched the 
President's Program for Care of Highly Qualified Overseas Pakistanis 
(PPQP).  This program plans to integrate the skills and talents of 
expatriate Pakistanis back into Pakistan in an attempt to "reverse 
the brain drain."  The government will pay airfare and stipends for 
overseas Pakistanis to come work on either a short-term or long-term 
basis while employers will pay for lodging expenses.  In one week, 
the PPQP website has received over 130,000 hits with 893 highly 
qualified Pakistanis registered and 33 employers listed.  If the 
PPQP is successful, it could become a huge drain on the GOP budget. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On July 18, EconOff discussed the PPQP with Secretary of 
Labor Malik Asif Hayat,  Joint Secretary of Labor Shah Rukh Nusrat, 
and Representative from the President's Secretariat Hashaam Riaz 
Sheikh.  They explained that the GOP is looking to harness the human 
capital of overseas Pakistanis to help rebuild the Pakistani 
economy.  The PPQP will be managed by the Ministry of Labor and 
Manpower with guidance from the President's Secretariat. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Ministry of Labor and Manpower will divide potential 
employees into two categories: those willing to stay and work in 
Pakistan for over 10 months (long term), and those willing to work 
from anywhere from two weeks to 9 months (short term).  The GOP 
plans to provide airfare and a weekly stipend for the expatriate 
employees until they receive their first paycheck.  The stipends run 
from Rs. 50,000 (USD 610) to Rs. 75,000 (USD 915) a week and could 
last several months depending on the individual arrangement.  The 
employer is expected to arrange and pay for lodging for the 
employee. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The PPQP will accept skilled Pakistanis from all fields 
and professions but is particularly focusing on finance, education, 
health, and engineering.  Candidates must have at least 16 years of 
education (i.e. the equivalent of an undergraduate degree in the 
United States).  The Ministry of Labor will match prospective 
employees with employers on a weekly basis.  It will also email out 
a weekly newsletter with information on new jobs and different 
sectors in Pakistan to all those registered in the database. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The PPQP's primary recruitment tool is its new website 
which allows prospective overseas Pakistanis to input their areas of 
expertise and other qualifications.  One week into the program, it 
has already received over 130,000 hits with 893 highly qualified 
Pakistanis registered and 33 employers recorded.  The registration 
form is quite detailed and asks for previous employment history and 
educational background as well as personal information such as 
passport number, date of birth, address, and religion. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Secretary Hayat anticipates that the federal government 
will be the biggest user of the PPQP as he feels it is in dire need 
of highly-skilled, technical experts.  Secretary Hayat said he would 
like to use this website and framework for future recruiting for all 
GOP positions and expand the program to Pakistani residents as well. 
 He expects the PPQP to grow rapidly. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Hayat asked for U.S. support in the form of technical 
assistance, such as improving the website to make it more advanced. 
He cited U.S. companies such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com as 
models for a larger, more complex GOP job recruiting website. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Comment:  The GOP officials were very excited about this 
program.  Sheikh told EconOff that he receives calls on a daily 
basis from Pakistani-Americans working on Wall Street and elsewhere 
who are looking for ways to contribute to Pakistan in a more 
meaningful manner than just donating money and sees the PPQP as the 
answer.  The GOP has not allocated funds for the PPQP in the 
2009-2010 budget.  However, the Ministry of Labor has asked for 
money for the PPQP to come out of the Public Sector Development 
Program, which was allocated almost USD 7.9 billion this fiscal 
year.  If this program is indeed successful and if the federal 
government is the main employer, then, of course, the GOP will be 
paying for the airfare, stipend, lodging, and salaries of hundreds, 
possibly thousands of overseas Pakistanis.  Depending on the level 
 
ISLAMABAD 00001712  002 OF 002 
 
 
of expertise acquired, that may or may not be a good deal for 
Pakistan's overburdened exchequer.  End Comment. 
 
 
FEIERSTEIN