Senate committee vows to help overseas Pakistanis

MoU on manpower to be signed with Japan soon, while discussion with Germany and Romania under way

ISLAMABAD: Immigration bureau officials have said that in the past two years, 888,000 Pakistanis went abroad for employment with the highest number 447,000 in United Arab Emirates, 194,000 in Saudi Arabia and 59,508 in Oman.

During briefing to the Senate Standing Committee for Overseas Pakistanis, officials of Bureau of Immigration said that the heirs of those who died or were paralysed abroad were compensated and the amount was given through an insurance company. The officials said that from 1982 to 2019, a sum of Rs6.30 billion had been paid.

The session was told that a memorandum of understanding on manpower will be signed with Japan soon, while discussion with Germany and Romania was under way and by the year end, it was expected that manpower from Pakistan will be exported to Romania.

The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis officials said that all the jobs were updated on the website and the ministry had shut down those websites and numbers running misleading advertisements.

The Overseas Pakistanis Foundation managing director said it was for the first time the body had profited. He said the foundation faced a loss of Rs600 million during the year 2017-18 whereas in 2018-19 it profited Rs110 million.

He expressed hope that by the end of current financial year, the profit would reach Rs250 million. He informed the session that by auctioning 11cars last year, Rs7.1 million had been saved. The deficit was also met by reducing car’s repairing and fuel expenses whereas the internal expenses of overseas foundation were also curtailed.

Senator Mirza Afridi said something good was happening in Naya (new) Pakistan. He said the foundation gave Rs400,000 in case a person died abroad, while body of the deceased was transported free of cost from abroad to his home. He said a memorandum of understanding had been signed with Edhi Foundation for the purpose.

Afridi maintained that the foundation had desks established at eight international airports where the overseas Pakistanis were provided information.

He observed that the issue of non-payment of salaries for overseas Pakistanis frequently occurred for which, they had recovered Rs4 billion from the company owners. The recovered amount was then dispatched to the affected labourers or to their families.

He further said that overseas foundation had established 25 schools in the country and children in these schools were given concession in tuition fees.

In the Middle East, there are 30 community schools, which work under the foreign office.