Kuala Lumpur  - Pakistani nationals are generally not interested in working in Malaysia due to perceived lower wages and perks compared to the Middle East, a Pakistani envoy said Monday.

Only 21,000 Pakistani workers came to Malaysia in the last six years, following a labour pact signed by both countries which was supposed to see 100,000 workers brought in, said Nadeem Ashraf, labour attache with the Pakistani High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

"Pakistani workers prefer to work in the Middle East countries where wages are very attractive and work conditions better.

"Moreover, it is also nearer home," Ashraf told the official Bernama news agency.

Under the labour pact, the 100,000 workers would have been placed in the construction, plantation, manufacturing and services sectors.

Reports of Bangladesh and Pakistani workers - who can earn from 80 ringgit (22.85 dollars) per day - running away from their employers or lodging reports of alleged abuse, are common in local newspapers.

Many claim that their employers withhold their wages or place them in deplorable living conditions. (dpa)