Overseas pakistanis: Foreign ministry told to address grievances

ISLAMABAD:

The federal ombudsman has directed the foreign ministry to address the issues of overseas Pakistanis immediately, expressing serious concerns over hundreds of complaints filed over the past year. The ministry has been told to submit a detailed report within two weeks.

An ombudsman official told The Express Tribune the migrants had shared their problems with the federal ombudsman’s grievance commissioner for overseas Pakistanis.

The official said most of the grievances related to obtaining national identity cards, passports and other documentations linked with different ministries. Hundreds of complaints were filed online over the past year.

Grievance Commissioner Hafiz Ahsaam Ahmed Khokhar said the ombudsman had established the commission last year to facilitate overseas Pakistanis.

He said that millions of Pakistanis living abroad were generating huge revenues for the country.

Khokhar added the foreign ministry had been directed to establish facilitation desks at all airports, publish information related to each ministry on its official website.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th,  2016.