Recommendation for overseas Pakistanis: Senate panel forms body to attract investment

The Senate's Standing Committee on Commerce on Tuesday formed a sub-committee to prepare recommendations for Pakistanis who left the country immediately after partition for attracting investment.
Presided over by Senator, Haji Ghulam Ali, the committee discussed issues being faced by local and foreign investors in Pakistan and the attitude of Pakistan's Foreign Missions with Pakistani businessmen.
Members of the committee also complained about the non-co-operation by Commercial Counsellors deputed in Foreign Missions.
Senator Haji Ghulam Ali said that when a Foreign Mission in Pakistan formed a delegation for his country, he travelled with the delegation and worked like a peon to appease the delegation because they needed investment. They treat the delegations of FPCCI like the President and Prime Minister. On the other hand, Pakistani ambassadors behaved like "rulers and do not cooperate".
One of the Director Generals of Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed regrets over the picture portrayed by the lawmakers but insisted that in most of the Missions, staff is short.
Senator Gul Muhammad Lot said that Commercial Sections of Pakistani Missions are non co-operative and they are not doing their jobs honestly.
Secretary Commerce, Munir Qureshi agreed to the observation of Senators and promised to improve the performance of Commercial Sections in Pakistani missions.
"I agree with the observations of Senators. The performance of Commercial Counsellors needs to be improved," he added.
He assured the lawmakers that those Commercial Counsellors whose performance was not up to the mark would be called back. He, however, was of the view that Commercial Sections were unable to provide logistical support to the business community because of limited resources.
According to an official statement issued by senate secretariat, caretaker Minister for Commerce Maqbool H H Rehmatullah has said that the present policies of the ministry would continue, however, instructions of the Election Commission would be followed in letter in spirit for holding free, fair and impartial elections.
He expressed these views at a meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Commerce chaired by Senator Haji Ghulam Ali in which a suggestion of Senator Dr Karim Khawaja was unanimously approved that after the partition of sub-continent industrialists settled in different countries of the world should be lured to invest in Pakistan.
The Ministry of commerce appreciated the suggestion and said that the envoys in America, Australia, India and different other countries has welcomed the suggestion and said that those who were born in Pakistan will happily invest in the country to revive their old bonds.
The committee unanimously urged the government that the President of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) should be given honorary status of ministry.
The three-member committee, including Senators Dr Karim Ahmed Khawaja and Adnan Siafullah Bangash, was constituted to attract foreign investment.
Ghulam Ali said that the government issued licences of prohibited bore weapons however there was no law exists in the country in this regard.
He said that people got prohibited weapons from tribal area as a gift and later registered through deputy registrar, however, the bureaucracy remained tight-lipped over the issue and no one ever asked from the tribal Maliks under which law they gifted so many licenses to the people.
The Secretary Commerce said that for the fast time the solution of this issue was given in the armed import policy, suggesting that OPF must open shops for prohibited bore weapons and sell the weapons to people who hold the licenses.
Afterwards, officials of State Life Insurance were given a briefing about the performance of the committee. Senators Aslamuddin Sheikh, Abdul Haseeb Khan, Gul Muhammad Lot, Haji Siafullah Khan Bangash and Adnan Khan attended the meeting.