Senate panel deliberates on expatriates’ issues

The Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development discussed in detail issues faced by stranded Pakistanis in the wake of Covid-19 and facilities being provided to them.

The committee also deliberated over the financial assistance being provided to the expatriates who had suffered due to the pandemic and reviewed the status of housing projects for them.

Chaired by Senator Hilalur Rehman, the meeting was attended by Senator Najma Hameed, Senator Nighat Mirza, Senator Shaheen Khalid Butt, Senator Syed Muhammad Sabir Shah and senior officers from the Ministry for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development along with other officials concerned.

While deliberating on the facilities provided to the stranded Pakistanis, the panel was informed of the measures taken by the ministry to ensure the safety and welfare of all Pakistanis stuck in different countries especially in the United Arab Emirates.

The committee was told that special flights were flown for the repatriation of overseas Pakistanis.

An emergency cell had been established to respond to the queries of expatriates and facilitation desk set up at all airports to assist all those arriving by special flights.

Meanwhile, focal persons had been nominated in the United States and Saudi Arabia to coordinate with the Pakistani missions.

While discussing the plight of overseas students stranded in Wuhan during the early days of the pandemic, the panel expressed displeasure over the handling of the issue.

The committee was of the view that the students should have been brought back and quarantined in schools and hostels that had been closed.

The panel noted that only one flight was needed to bring back 900 stranded students.

The participants of the meeting stressed that a policy be framed so that such issues do not arise in future.

The committee was informed that the ministry had taken steps to ensure the provision of financial assistance of all the overseas Pakistanis who had been affected by the coronavirus.

A database is being prepared to facilitate the interested returning migrants to setup their own business through Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) and National Youth Development Framework (Nydf).

Discussing housing schemes for the overseas Pakistanis, the committee was told that seven projects for the expatriates had been completed.