ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Committee approved two Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) initiatives proposed by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Development.
The Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, chaired by Syed Rafiullah, MNA has given go-ahead to Ministry’s proposals to set-up Labour Market Research Cell to generate timely, sectoral intelligence; and a Capacity-Building Programme on Occupational Safety & Health to improve employer compliance.
The committee also considered country-wise performance of Community Welfare Attachés (CWAs) in Europe and reviewed implementation of the committee’s earlier directions. The committee received mission reports from CWAs covering Italy, Spain, and Greece and noted common operational shortcomings that require urgent remedial action.
Members recorded concern at repeated instances of passport loss, inconsistent character-verification practices across provinces, delays in apostille processing and limited capacity for regular prison outreach. The Chair underlined that facilitation must be matched by clear, accountable processes and verifiable outcomes.
On Italy, the mission reported a substantial Pakistani population. The mission confirmed progress on a bilateral MOU signed in 2025 and an allocation of 3,500 labour slots (including 1,500 non-seasonal). The committee was apprised of continuing challenges: pending work visas, passport loss cases (including repeat losses), and verification backlogs in certain provinces (notably Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), where the national status verification is not yet online.
The CWA for Spain outlined the mission’s efforts after a long vacancy: the station is working to regularise applicants (targeting 20,000 regularisations among 140,000 Pakistanis resident), but procedural hurdles remain — notably apostille delays, difficulties in obtaining national police bureau certificates, and problems with repeated passport losses. The committee welcomed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plan for a one-window apostille operation (to be developed with National Police Bureau) and demanded an expedited timeline. Members also pressed for faster resolution of repatriation and death-case service queries.
In respect of Greece, members took note of a documented community of about 51,000 Pakistanis. The mission reported employer interest in agriculture, construction and tourism and a nursing-recruitment approach from an Athens medical group. The committee noted the difficulty of securing minimum-wage protections for undocumented workers and sought a report from the ministry on the issues related to staff of Greece station.
The committee requested a list of CWA officers serving beyond authorised tenure and mandated that the Ministry regularise extensions under framed rules. The committee asked the CWA in Spain to share details of 30–40 passport cases involving repeat loss and to take the matter up with the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports for remedial action.
The meeting was attended by MNAs; Dr Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto (virtually), Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Erum Hamid (virtually), Mah Jabeen Khan Abbasi, Saeeda Jamshid, Farhan Chishti, Mian Khan Bugti (virtually), Fatehullah Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Behan, Nasir Iqbal Bosal, and Muhammad Ilyas Choudhry.
The meeting was also attended by senior officers of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Planning.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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