A parliamentary panel on Thursday was informed that land for Overseas Pakistanis Housing Schemes Islamabad was purchased at an exorbitant rate of Rs 55,000 per kanal against the market price of Rs 5,000 per kanal in 1996 - a glaring example of misappropriation of the hard-earned money of expatiates.
Briefing Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD), Khizar Hayat Khan, Federal Secretary Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development and Managing Director (MD) OPF, Habib-ur-Rehman Gilani said that in 1996, Rs 275 million were spent on land purchase for housing society against actual price of Rs 25 million. They informed the committee that successive governments ignored the plight of the overseas Pakistanis and didn't complete developmental works on the housing schemes, creating inordinate delays which resulted in escalation of costs, adding the incumbent has started seriously taken up the issue.
The committee meeting, chaired by Baz Mohammad Khan, also recommended the government to enhance the number of seats in technical and professional institutes of the country from current 398 students. The committee members pointed out that public as well as commercial banks are not only causing long delays in making the payments to the families of the overseas Pakistanis sending remittances through proper channel by 10 to 20 days as a result hundi system was encouraged but also charging 2.5 per cent additional charges from them which discouraged the use of legal system for sending remittances. The government must direct all the banks for on the spot facilitating overseas Pakistanis by removing all unwanted hurdles.
An official of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) briefed the committee on increasing fee of the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP), saying that fee for zone A which included Europe and America has been increased, while for zone B which includes Middle East has been reduced. The committee also recommended the government to end issuing of NICOP for the Pakistanis working in Middle East as it was useless in Arab but puts additional financial burden on poor workers.
The committee was informed in past three months the OPF and other relevant quarters have started settling the housing schemes related issues, but it has increased the cost manifold.
Senator Hafiz Hamidullah suggested the panel to refer this case to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) so that the culprits who purchased cheap land on 10 time's high price should be fixed.
The committee asked the government to remove all those labor attaches working in Pakistani embassies appointed on political basis. The Secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistan informed the committee that the present government has removed all political based appointees in the first time.
Since 1998 no convention was organized for the overseas Pakistanis and now the OPF is making arrangements to hold such a convention for the Pakistanis working abroad and this will be held in December 2017 almost after 19 years. The committee was further informed that in past 7 months Pakistani labor export to Saudi Arabia has increased by 40,000 persons while to Dubai and other small Middle Eastern countries labor exports have witnessed a decline by 20,000 persons.
Pakistan has singed an agreement with Qatar of supplying 100,000 workers, an agreement with Malaysian government has also been reached after the passage of 13 year- as both the countries in 2003 singed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of labor export, the Secretary said.
The government is also talking with the Korean government of supplying labor and will ink an agreement in 2017 where Pakistani workers were banned since 1990; all these efforts will create a lot of employment opportunities for skilled Pakistani labors, Khizar Hayat Khan added.
Kuwait has also banned issuing visas for Pakistani workers in 2011 and now the Ministry has requested the Prime Minister to make his personal efforts so that Pakistanis can get job opportunities in Kuwait, adding that all those countries where Pakistani workers are banned is because of wrongdoings of Pakistanis.
MD OPF said the government had taken several measures to resolve problems of the Pakistanis living abroad, which would also help bring more foreign investment in the country. He apprised the committee that a 100-member advisory council was being established and a seminar for Overseas Pakistan would be held next year. The committee had prepared a comprehensive report on the problems being faced by Overseas Pakistanis and asked the OPF chairman to take appropriate steps in light of the report.