Caretaker Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis on Thursday revealed in Senate that there is rampant corruption and mismanagement in the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) particularly in sending employment-starved manpower abroad.
The last sitting of the 41st session of the upper house started at 11:00 am with Senator Dr Abdul Malik in the chair, whereas lawmakers belonging to the opposition raised different issues before starting debate on the agenda ie the on-going political situation.
Responding to a point of order, Nisar Ahmed Ghumman, the caretaker Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis revealed that there is a high level of corruption in OPF which, he said, has been hijacked by some police officers presently serving there at high positions.
The Minister revealed that there is not a single mentionable welfare activity being carried out for the people working overseas as only less than five percent of their children are studying in the OPF institutions. He informed the House that politicians sent their relatives abroad if there was any requisition.
According to the Minister, Korea had demanded 10,000 Pakistani manpower and they were admitted in Korean language course. To the end 8,000 those people could not qualify the language test, who were accommodated on the recommendations of politicians. Even the Korean Ambassador regretted it, he said. The caretaker government also came under fire from the opposition benches for making high profile appointments in government departments.
On a point of order, Senator Sadia Abbasi of PML-N drew attention of the House towards the issue that Mubashir Lucman, who is presently a member of the Punjab caretaker cabinet, has been appointed as Advisor to federal information ministry in grade MP-1, the most lucrative and high profile position.
She said that how a person who is also a member of the caretaker provincial government has been granted another lucrative job in a federal ministry. Senator Raza Rabbani, Opposition leader in Senate, said that the responsibility of the caretaker government was to hold elections and had nothing to do with appointments against such high profile posts.
MMA Senator Rehmatullah Kakar pointed out that the government is making efforts to appoint a controversial DIG Farooq Gohar replacing the incumbent Inspector General of Police Balochistan, who is an honest and dutiful officer.
He was of the opinion that Gohar had a track record of torturing Baloch people during his last term as DIG in Balochistan and warned the government of serious reaction if the plan was materialised. PPP Senator Enver Baig on a pointed of order raised the issue of bullet-proof vehicles and government squads to the chief ministers and ministers of former government, who are still using these vehicles and security squads.
These former Ministers who still have bullet-proof vehicles and guards are Faisal Saleh Hayat, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Amir Muqam and Sheikh Rashid. He questioned under which rules and ground these people were still using this facility.