Overseas Pakistanis: PM takes stock of initiatives for enhanced services

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to make embassy services more accessible and efficient for overseas Pakistanis, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday took stock of initiatives aimed at digitising services, speeding up document verification and strengthening complaint mechanisms.

The officials from various ministries outlined measures introduced to cut bureaucratic hurdles, streamline procedures and ease difficulties faced by Pakistanis seeking consular services at the country’s missions abroad.

The meeting was informed that a QR code-based system had already been introduced to simplify procedures related to powers of attorney, property transactions and document verification for expatriates.

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The officials said document attestation services had also been launched at the Easy Service Centre in Islamabad, while a courier-based attestation facility had been introduced to provide greater convenience to citizens.

The document verification system had been linked with databases of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Inter Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC), National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the National Police Bureau to help expedite the process.

The meeting was further informed that an evening shift had recently been introduced at the Foreign Ministry’s office in Islamabad to facilitate citizens.

Under the apostille system, they added, the attestation procedure had also been converted into a one-stop service facility.

Officials said that work was progressing rapidly to fully digitise the system in the next phase, with a mobile application being developed in collaboration with the National Information Technology Board (NITB).

The application would enable digital verification of documents, including birth and death certificates, marriage registration certificates and family registration certificates.

They said the measures were being implemented under the prime minister’s directives to improve service delivery for overseas Pakistanis at Pakistan’s missions worldwide.

Addressing the meeting, the prime minister directed that a special awareness programme be launched among overseas Pakistanis about the QR code-based complaint registration system so that more people could benefit from the facility and register their grievances.

“Overseas Pakistanis are our valuable asset, and providing them with all possible facilities is the government’s top priority,” he said.

Officials from the Foreign Ministry, Pakistan’s ambassadors in several countries, the Interior Ministry, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Ministry of Information Technology and other departments attended the meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026