Background Verification & Employment Screening in Pakistan
Identity, employment, education and address checks on candidates you are hiring yourself — carried out with the candidate’s written consent, and reported as findings rather than opinions.
Khawaja Manpower (SMC-Private) Limited — a registered Pakistani company
What a check actually returns
- What was confirmed, and by whom
- What could not be confirmed, and why
- Any discrepancy against what the candidate stated
- Copies of the documents reviewed
- No recommendation — the decision stays yours
The checks that are genuinely available in Pakistan
This is the part most providers blur. Below is what can actually be verified here, and the section after it lists what cannot.
| Check | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Identity (CNIC) | Verification of the candidate’s CNIC record |
| Previous employment | Contacting the previous employer to confirm designation, period of service and reason for leaving |
| Education documents | Review of degrees, diplomas and certificates, with verification arranged at source with the issuing university, board, HEC or IBCC on request |
| Professional registration | Confirming a registration number with the relevant body where the role requires it — PEC for engineers, PNMC for nursing roles |
| Address verification | Confirming the permanent and current address on record, with a local reference where available |
| Police character certificate | Arranged through the police on the candidate’s application — issued by them, never by us |
| Employment gap review | Identifying unexplained gaps in the stated history and asking the candidate to account for them |
| Reference checks | Speaking to named professional references about conduct and performance |
If the person will be employed on our payroll rather than yours, these checks are already included — see staff outsourcing. This page is for candidates you are hiring directly.
What cannot be checked in Pakistan, whatever anyone tells you
There is no public criminal records database in Pakistan that an employer or a screening company can search. Anyone offering you a “criminal record check” as a database lookup is describing something that does not exist. The real route is a police character certificate, applied for by the candidate and issued by the police — we arrange and follow it up, but the police issue it and the timeline is theirs.
We also do not offer credit checks on job candidates, and we do not carry out social media surveillance or any check the candidate has not consented to in writing.
And we report findings, not verdicts. We will tell you what was confirmed, what could not be confirmed and why, and where a discrepancy exists. We will not tell you whether to hire the person. That decision, and the responsibility for it, stays with you.
Six rules we apply on every file
Screening done carelessly creates more risk than it removes.
Written consent first
Nothing starts until the candidate has signed a consent form covering the specific checks you have asked for.
Source over paper
A document is reviewed; where it matters, it is confirmed with the body that issued it. The two are not the same and we say which one we did.
The previous employer, not a letterhead
An experience letter proves someone printed a letter. We speak to the employer, and we record who we spoke to.
Discrepancies, not conclusions
Where the record differs from what the candidate stated, we report the difference and let you weigh it.
Candidate data handled narrowly
Files are shared only with the person you name, used only for the check you requested, and not retained beyond what you ask.
Honest timelines
Employment and education checks move at the speed of the organisation answering. Police certificates move at the police’s speed. We tell you which parts are outside our control.
A screening file is only as fast as the slowest third party in it. A previous employer that answers the phone is quick; one that has closed down is not; a police character certificate runs on its own timeline entirely. We give you a realistic estimate per file at the start, and we tell you immediately when something is stuck rather than letting a deadline pass quietly.
From candidate list to a screening report
Most clients send a batch after shortlisting and before issuing offers.
You send the candidates
Names, CNIC numbers, stated employment and education history, and which checks you want on each.
Consent collected
The candidate signs a consent form covering those specific checks. Nothing begins before this.
Verification carried out
Identity, employment, education, address and professional registration as applicable, with police character certificates arranged where requested.
Report issued
What was confirmed, what was not and why, any discrepancies, and copies of documents reviewed — sent only to the person you name.
Follow-up
Where something is unresolved we tell you what is outstanding and whether it is worth waiting for.
What we do, and what we do not
The second column is the one worth reading.
| We do | We do not | |
|---|---|---|
| Identity verification | Yes | — |
| Employment and reference checks | Yes | — |
| Education document review and source verification | Yes | — |
| Address verification | Yes | — |
| Police character certificate arrangement | Yes | — |
| Criminal database search | — | No such database exists for employers in Pakistan |
| Credit checks on candidates | — | Not offered |
| Social media surveillance | — | Not offered |
| Checks without written consent | — | Never |
| A hire or no-hire recommendation | — | The decision is yours |
If a provider is offering you the items in the right-hand column, ask them to show you the source. That question usually ends the conversation.
The employers who screen before they hire
Usually after one bad hire, and then permanently afterwards.
Banks and financial institutions
Cash-handling and branch roles, where verification is part of the hiring policy rather than an option.
Software houses and IT companies
Employment history and education, particularly for remote and senior hires.
Hospitals and clinics
Professional registration for clinical roles, and character verification for staff with patient access.
Schools and universities
Character verification for anyone working around students, as a standing requirement.
Corporates and shared services
Pre-offer screening on shortlisted candidates, usually in batches.
Factories and distribution businesses
Storekeepers, cashiers and anyone with access to stock or cash.
Registered with the bodies that matter
We are a registered Pakistani company and a registered employer. Incorporation, tax and statutory registrations are all in place, and the documents are shared directly with clients during vendor prequalification.
SECP
Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan — our company incorporation
EOBI
Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution — registered employer, contributions filed monthly
Provincial social security
PESSI, SESSI, IESSI or ESSI — registered by the worker's place of work
FBR
Federal Board of Revenue — tax registration and proper tax invoices
Companies the Khawaja Manpower group has worked with
Three decades of manpower, outsourcing and payroll work across energy, engineering and industry — for operators who audit their vendors before they appoint them.
Client names and marks are the property of their respective owners and are shown to describe past engagements of the Khawaja Manpower group.
Why we offer this separately
We already run these checks on every worker we place on our own payroll. Clients kept asking whether we could do the same for people they were hiring themselves — so we do, as a standalone service.
That also means we have no incentive to pass a candidate. We are not placing this person and we earn nothing from them joining. The report says what we found.
Our office is in Rawalpindi, and we screen candidates across Pakistan. Volume matters more than location here — a batch of twenty is handled differently from a single senior hire, so tell us which it is.
Frequently asked questions
Can you do a criminal record check?
Not as a database search, because no such database is available to employers in Pakistan. The real route is a police character certificate, applied for by the candidate and issued by the police. We arrange it and follow it up, but it is issued by them and the timeline is theirs. Any provider offering an instant criminal database check should be asked to name the database.
Do you need the candidate’s permission?
Yes, in writing, before anything starts. The consent form covers the specific checks you have asked for. We do not run checks a candidate has not agreed to, and we do not accept instructions to do so.
Can you verify a degree at source?
We review the documents and, where you need it confirmed at source, arrange verification with the issuing university, board, HEC or IBCC. We tell you which of the two was done — reviewing a document and confirming it with the issuer are different things, and the difference matters.
Will you tell us whether to hire the person?
No. We report what was confirmed, what could not be confirmed and why, and any discrepancy against what the candidate stated. The hiring decision and the responsibility for it stay with you.
How long does a check take?
It depends on who has to answer. A previous employer that picks up the phone is quick; a closed business is not; a police character certificate runs on its own timeline. We give a realistic estimate per file at the start and tell you immediately when something is stuck.
Do you screen staff you place yourselves?
Yes — identity verification, reference checks and police character certificates where the client requires them are part of every placement. This page is for candidates you are hiring onto your own payroll.
More from Khawaja Manpower
Related services for employers hiring directly.
Send us the candidates
Tell us how many candidates, which checks you need on each, and whether it is a batch or a single senior hire. You get a realistic timeline per file and a report that separates what was confirmed from what was not.
