Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday unveiled a slew of incentives for overseas Pakistanis, as he described them as the “pride” of the nation.
In an address to the federal government’s Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad, he said the government would establish special courts for the speedy disposal of cases involving overseas Pakistanis. Noting similar courts are already operating in Islamabad, he said they would be expanded nationwide to resolve their cases. In this regard, he said, the government will also provide them the facility of recording evidence via video link at Pakistan’s missions abroad. Additionally, he said, new legislation would change the civil courts procedure to prevent fictitious litigation against overseas Pakistanis.
The convention is part of efforts of the incumbent government to attract support among overseas Pakistanis, whose remittances soared past $4 billion in March. Attended by over 1,200 expatriates, the convention highlighted the contributions of more than 10 million overseas Pakistanis and included addresses from both the prime minister and Chief of Army Staff Gen. Asim Munir.
In his speech, Sharif said the government will soon implement a “green channel” facility for overseas Pakistanis to facilitate smooth immigration and customs processes for them.
Additionally, the prime minister announced special quotas for the children of overseas Pakistanis in educational institutions, including a five percent quota in all chartered universities and the federal capital’s degree-awarding institutes, and 15 percent in medical colleges. The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission, he said, would offer 5,000 skill development courses to the children of expatriates.
Sharif said the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had been directed to consider overseas Pakistanis tax filers to ease their banking and business transactions.
The government also unveiled a five-year age relaxation for male overseas applicants for government jobs and a seven-year relaxation for overseas women. He said special facilitation offices had already been set up by the Boards of Revenue in Punjab and Balochistan, adding these would be replicated in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Azad Kashmir.
Praising overseas Pakistanis for their unwavering support for the economy, he specifically cited the record $4.1 billion remittances sent in March, noting the central bank had estimated the annual value would surpass $38 billion, exceeding the country’s exports.
Sharif said the government would accord overseas Pakistanis with civil awards based on remittance contributions annually on Aug. 14, adding diplomatic missions and the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation would submit nominations for this.
‘Brain gain’
In his address, the Army chief also praised overseas Pakistanis for their dedication and commitment to the nation. “Those who promote the narrative of brain drain should know that this is not a brain drain but a brain gain. The overseas Pakistanis are the finest example of that,” he said.
“Do Pakistan’s enemies think that a handful of terrorists can decide the fate of Pakistan?” he said, stressing that “even 10 generations of terrorists cannot harm Balochistan and Pakistan.” Maintaining that the Army can “easily” face any difficulty so long as the “brave” people of the country stand with the armed forces, he said the convention gave a clear message that whatever stands in the way of Pakistan’s progress will be removed through unity. “We do not fear enmity,” he said. “As Muslims and Pakistanis, we have never bowed before difficulties and we never will.”
Gen. Munir also condemned Israel’s military aggression in Gaza, expressing solidarity with Palestinians under bombardment in the territory. “The hearts of Pakistanis beat in unison with the Muslims of Gaza,” he said.