The Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis was informed on Tuesday that the government is taking measures to boost the flow of foreign remittances through normal banking channels reducing time in transfer of hard earned foreign exchange by overseas Pakistanis.
The committee that met with Dr Khatu Mal Jeewan in the chair at the Parliament House, was informed by the Secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis (MoOPs), Saeed Ahmed that home remittance cells have been set up in all banks with requisite IT support and the State Bank of Pakistan has directed all commercial banks to give priority to remittances and take measures to improve service of their branches abroad.
He further said that Foreign Exchange Remittance Card has already been introduced by Ministry of Finance to facilitate and persuade overseas Pakistanis. Similarly, he added that the SPB, the MoOPs and the Ministry of Finance had launched a joint Pakistan Remittance Initiative in 2009. He, however, said this facility is available only in two countries - Saudi Arabia and the United States and would be extended to other countries.
The committee members were of the view that more incentives including awarding those sending more money through legal channels to be given to increase foreign remittances. They also called upon the MoOPs to enhance its staffs at the airports to properly facilitate the overseas workers. The Senate panel was further informed that National Policy for Overseas Pakistanis was under formulation focusing overseas workers welfare.
The policy is also defining the rights, privileges and obligations of Pakistani citizens abroad, he said adding that under the policy, various steps would be taken like financial assistance and economic incentives for providing investment opportunities to non-resident Pakistanis. The committee also took notice of 134 stranded Pakistanis in Libya and asked the government to take immediate steps for their safe return.
Committee member Abdul Ghafur Qureshi asked that why the government did not make efforts to bring back these Pakistanis to the country adding that if huge funds could be spent for the repatriation of Dr Aafia Siddiqui from a US prison then why not for 134 Pakistanis from Libya.
The committee, however, decided to convene joint meeting of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and officials of the Federal Investigative Agency to discuss safe return of the 134 Pakistanis from Libya and also to take action against the agents who sent them abroad. The committee was further told that the government has decided not to send more manpower to Libya until repartition of these Pakistanis.
Saeed Ahmed told the committee that as many as 4,794 Pakistanis were languishing in different jails of Saudi Arabia. About the stranded Pakistanis repatriated from various countries, he said that 336 countrymen were repatriated from Yemen in 1994, 224 from Jordan in 1999 and 335 children from Gulf countries who were earlier transported for camel races. Similarly, he said that 23 children were repatriated from Saudi Arabia whose parents were caught in the Kingdom on the allegations of smuggling narcotics.
The secretary said there were some 90,000 Pakistanis in Athens and 60 percent of them were illegal. The committee was further told that Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis had set up 21 offices of Community Welfare Attaches (CWAs) in 18 Pakistanis missions abroad in 15 countries. Saeed Ahmed said that though there was no provincial quota but efforts had been made to ensure representation of people from all the provinces.
The committee also expressed reservations over the non-representation of Balochistan in the 19-member Board of Directors of Public Sector Autonomous Organisations of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) that comprises parliamentarians, officials of various government departments and overseas Pakistanis. The committee directed the ministry to ensure representation of all provinces on the board.