Pakistan to award civil honors to top-performing overseas citizens

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Monday that civil awards will be granted to overseas Pakistanis who have demonstrated exceptional performance in various sectors abroad and those who have remitted the most capital to Pakistan through the State Bank.

The announcement came during a special meeting regarding overseas Pakistanis' affairs held at the Prime Minister's House. The meeting was called to discuss the government's recent substantial package provided in recognition of overseas Pakistanis' services.

Attendees were briefed on the progress and strategy regarding facilities announced for overseas Pakistanis, while satisfaction was expressed over the success of the recent overseas Pakistanis convention.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir attended the meeting, along with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers, and relevant government officials.

Sharif, while addressing the meeting, stated that overseas Pakistanis serve as ambassadors for Pakistan abroad and have made significant contributions to the country, according to the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister stated that the government is prioritizing solutions to overseas Pakistanis' problems and working to provide them with additional facilities. Furthermore, he said investment opportunities in Pakistan will be made available to overseas Pakistanis in accordance with their skills.

Welfare package

The civil awards announcement follows Sharif's unveiling last week of a comprehensive welfare package during the first Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad. At that event, Sharif highlighted that remittances reached $4.1 billion in March alone, with projections showing the total for this fiscal year will exceed $38 billion, surpassing Pakistan's total exports.

The welfare package includes a special court for overseas Pakistanis in Islamabad that will be expanded to all provinces, a 5% quota for children of overseas Pakistanis in chartered universities in Islamabad, and a 15% quota in medical colleges. The package also grants age relaxations for overseas Pakistanis applying for government jobs and ensures that the Federal Board of Revenue will treat them as filers.

Chairman of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) Syed Qamar Raza said the prime minister had accepted 14 major demands of the diaspora and formed a committee led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. He announced that an Overseas Pakistanis Convention will now be held every April.

Civil disobedience

Sources indicate that the coalition government has focused on overseas Pakistanis to address issues such as civil disobedience and a political party's call for overseas Pakistanis to halt foreign exchange remittances to Pakistan.

It should be noted that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, while announcing a protest movement in the recent past, had suggested the possibility of overseas Pakistanis withholding foreign exchange remittances to Pakistan.