Overseas Pakistanis: One-window facilitation resolves 390 complaints

As many as 932 complaints of govt departments has been resolved

ISLAMABAD: The government, as a gesture of acknowledgement towards the overseas Pakistanis for contributing billions to the national economy, has established one-window facilitation desks at different airports to timely address their problems.

The facilitation desks are providing instant relief to the expatriates at airports and 390 complaints at these airports have been resolved since May 2015, said the Grievance Commissioner for Overseas Pakistanis to Federal Ombudsman of Pakistan, Ahsaan Ahmed Khokhar.

He said that seven one-window facilitation desks have been established and successfully functioning at the Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Sialkot and Multan airports.

The grievance commissioner for overseas Pakistanis said that the basic purpose of the facilitation desk was to provide on spot resolution and to guide the passengers in case of difficulty at airports and there has been substantial decrease in the number of complaints at airports. He said it during his recent visit of the One-Window Facilitation Desk at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

In addition, Khokhar said that focal persons have been appointed in 116 foreign missions of Pakistan with coordination of Foreign Office of Pakistan. Also, he said, focal persons have been appointed to resolve issues for overseas Pakistanis in 40 departments of Pakistan and so far action has been taken on 932 complaints of the expatriates against government departments since June 2015.

Moreover, the federal ombudsman department has taken several steps for making things easier for the overseas Pakistanis.

Among them is the establishment of independent website for overseas Pakistanis, online system of handling complaints, facilitation in companies and tax registration, improvement in facilities at airports, fixation of day for hearing of complaints in 116 Pakistani missions.

Besides, the department is also providing assistance in facilitation of documents’ attestation, resolution of residence permit, counselling of overseas Pakistani prisoners, e-gate immigration facility at all international airports of Pakistan, and facilitation of remittances of Overseas Pakistanis.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th,  2016.