- Remittance delays from Gulf countries impact Pakistani families deeply.
- Pakistan heavily relies on billions from migrant workers abroad.
- Regional conflict and labor shifts threaten vital income sources.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
Samina Bibi, a 34-year-old mother of three, lives in a modest house on the outskirts of Rawalpindi, the fourth-most populous city in Pakistan.
One early morning this week, she received a message from her husband saying that his salary would be delayed again.
She says she had to fight back tears.
Bibi’s husband has been living in Saudi Arabia for the past decade. He works for a Riyadh-based construction company.
“He says the company is facing issues due to regional conflict,” she said, referring to the Iran war. “I just think, what about us relying solely on his 80,000 rupees (€245, $288) per month?”
For Samina, the delay in remittance is not merely an inconvenience, but a disruption that ripples through every part of her life. She says the Middle East crisis is directly affecting the families of migrant workers in the region.
Dependent on money transfers from abroad
Pakistan is among the world’s largest recipients of remittances, with tens of billions of dollars flowing in each year — much of it from workers in the Gulf.
For millions of households, this money offer an economic lifeline, allowing them to cover basic needs including food, rent, education and healthcare.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) contributed more than half of Pakistan’s record $38.3 billion remittances in fiscal year 2025.
But as the crisis bites, causing delays and fluctuations, many are now questioning Pakistan’s heavy reliance on Gulf economies.
Analysts warn that rising Middle East tensions, along with labor market shifts like increased automation and preference for hiring local workers, could threaten the remittance income for millions of Pakistani families.
“There are rising reports of workers from the Gulf being sent back. No numbers or data are available at the moment though,” said Khurram Husain, an economic analyst.
“The UAE accounts for 20% of all Pakistan remittances, so a sudden slowdown from this one source alone would create significant pressure on the reserves and families of migrant workers back home,” he added.
Remittances have grown into a pillar of the national economy — supporting foreign exchange reserves and even stabilizing the currency. But that pillar rests on foundations far beyond Pakistan’s borders.
“A slowdown in remittances would obviously cause a lot of difficulty — we export labor more than goods and services,” Safiya Aftab, an Islamabad-based economist, told DW.
Families split by borders
Bibi’s husband has spent 10 years working in Saudi Arabia. He visits home once every two years. In between, their relationship exists largely through video calls.
Their children have grown up this way. “My youngest child still asks when his father will come back for good,” she said. “I don’t know what to tell him.”
Her situation is not uncommon. Migration has reshaped family life across Pakistan, creating what sociologists describe as “transnational households” — families split between countries but bound by financial necessity.
Regional tensions, economic slowdown, and labor market shifts in Gulf countries can directly affect migrant workers’ earnings — and, by extension, the families who depend on them.
“When something happens there, we feel it here,” Bibi lamented.
Her husband’s hours were cut earlier this year, forcing him to send smaller amounts of money. One delayed payment forced her to borrow money to pay her children’s school fees. “It’s like everything stops,” she said. “You wait, and you hope.”
A limited safety net
Many Pakistani workers in the Gulf hold low- or semi-skilled jobs, which makes them particularly vulnerable to layoffs during economic downturns.
“Too much depends on one region and one type of labor. Many young people are now coming to us looking for work visas for Malaysia or even Belarus. They consider a UAE work contract an uncertain prospect,” Osama Malik, an Islamabad-based immigration lawyer, told DW.
In Saudi Arabia, there are often delays in the payment of salaries to overseas workers, with certain restrictions on how much can be remitted back to their home countries, he added.
The human cost of migration
For families, migration brings economic benefits but also causes emotional strain.
Bibi manages the household alone, raising children, caring for in-laws and making financial decisions. Her husband, meanwhile, lives in shared accommodation abroad, working long hours.
“We talk every day,” she said. “But it’s not the same.”
There are moments when the distance feels heavier, particularly during illness, school events, family emergencies, Bibi told DW. “You realize how much is missing.”
An uncertain future
Experts say Pakistan should provide more security for its workers by strengthening domestic industries and diversifying migration destinations.
“Pakistan should not rely so heavily on remittances from the Gulf or any other place,” Aftab stressed.
“There is no substitute for growth in the domestic commodity-producing sectors. We need to focus on improving productivity in agriculture, manufacturing, and high-end services,” he added.
For families like Bibi’s, however, such policy debates feel distant.
“Our life depends on his job there,” she said. “If something happens, we have nothing here.”
Disclaimer: This report first appeared on Deutsche Welle, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.
