Property complaints: Law amended to help overseas Pakistanis

Expatriates will receive legal assistance within 25 days of complaint.

ISLAMABAD: To secure the property of overseas Pakistanis, the Senate has decided to provide legal assistance to all emigrants whose property is threatened by the “qabza mafia” by amending the Emigration Ordinance 1979.

The Emigration Amendment Bill 2013 will provide legal assistance within 25 days after receiving a complaint related to the illegal disposition of property and after all the relevant documents are submitted.

The government will then refer the complaint to a sessions court under the relevant law and appoint a legal counsel with the consent of the complainant, while ensuring that all necessary measures are taken to protect the legal interests of complainants.

Meanwhile, as the complaints are being handled by the director general throughout the process, a quarterly report will be submitted to the federal government regarding the status of the complaints received. The bill was introduced in the Senate on Monday, and was passed, unopposed.

It was moved by Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Maula Bakhsh Chandio after being cleared by the Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.

The reason behind the change in legislation is the wave of complaints by non-resident Pakistanis whose properties have been confiscated by the land mafia and, in certain cases, by individuals.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2014.