During his recent visit to Khaleej Times in July, the special assistant to PM Imran Khan also revealed that the government will launch a pension scheme for overseas Pakistanis
Published: Fri 14 Aug 2020, 1:41 PM
Updated: Sat 15 Aug 2020, 8:03 AM
Overseas Pakistanis have always been a major pillar towards the country's economic growth through their contributions of billions of dollars in remittances and foreign investment.
Though all the previous governments promised to reward overseas Pakistanis with different incentives for their contributions but none has delivered their promises as much as the current government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The recent successful repatriation of 304,000 Pakistanis from the UAE and other countries on more than 500 domestic and international flights following the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic reflects the seriousness, commitment and preference of the government towards its overseas citizens. Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, special assistant to Pakistan's Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, was instrumental in planning and executing the whole plan successfully. It was the largest ever repatriation programme executed by the South Asian nation in its history. He praised the key role played by the overseas Pakistanis through their contribution in remitting billions of dollars every year as well the philanthropy during the lockdown period in the UAE.
Pakistanis remitted $23.1 billion during 2019-20 fiscal year, the highest ever recorded in the country's history.
"It is a good indicator that remittances are stable and foreign direct investment has been improved by 40 per cent. It showed that Pakistan is on a safe track," Bukhari added.
Globally, 8.8 million Pakistani expats are residing and working across the globe with majority of them - 4.7 million or 53.4 per cent - in the Gulf Arab region. Around 1.5 million of them are based in the UAE alone.
During over two-month long repatriation of more than 60,000 people from the UAE, Zulfiqar Bukhari emphasised time and again that repatriation of his countrymen has always been the priority, especially those who were stranded in the UAE.
First dignitary to visit UAE
In July, Bukhari visited the UAE and met with senior diplomats, business community members and the country's diaspora and assured them full support of the government in overcoming their challenges.
Bukhari became the first dignitary to visit the UAE since the outbreak of the pandemic and was regularly in touch with the UAE's Minister for Human Resources and Emiratisation Naseer bin Thani Juma Al Hamli during the lockdown days to discuss and repatriation of stranded Pakistanis from the Emirates.
Bukhari hails UAE
Bukhari praised the UAE authorities' assistance during the repatriation programme and extended gratitude to the UAE Minister Naseer Al Hamli for providing in-time support to Pakistan in such trying times.
Bukhari said that Pakistani nationals will get preference for jobs when the economy recovers post-Covid-19. "The government wants more skilled labour to be sent abroad," he said, adding that about 30 per cent of skilled Pakistanis have got jobs in recent times.
Pakistanis who were terminated due to Covid-19 globally totalled 50,000-55,000 while only 5,000 were laid off in Saudi Arabia.
"The number of people made redundant or became unemployed in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are very less compared to the overall impact of Covid-19 in economies of the region. The UAE has managed to control the pandemic situation very well. The number of Pakistanis who lost their jobs are not big considering millions of people living in the UAE," he said during his visit to the UAE.
He noted that the government is taking inputs from the overseas Pakistanis in the decision-making, reflecting the importance government places on the role of its citizens residing abroad.
Sops for expats
During his visit to Khaleej Times in July, the special assistant to PM Imran Khan also revealed that the government will launch a pension scheme for overseas Pakistanis. "We are going to bring informal workers like labourers, drivers, cooks and other domestic workers in the Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI). They will have the opportunity to contribute towards their pension. So we are bringing in an informal economy that has about 45 million Pakistanis. With Pakistan being a huge economy, we have to think out of the box and make the EOBI the largest pension fund in the country."
In addition, sops like cheaper airfares and additional luggage on flights will be rolled out to encourage people to remit money through digital channels. Pakistan's tourism sector has also been flourishing recently with strong focus from Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as Zulfiqar Bukhari.
Bukhari said tourism is the next big thing in the country and it is going to generate massive employment. Tourism is a dark horse... We don't realise how much employment it is going to generate in the country," he said. In order to tap the country's massive tourism potential, Bukhari said the Pakistan government was all set to launch a tourism campaign called 'Brand Pakistan' in April, but delayed it due to Covid-19 pandemic.
"We made a 10-year tourism policy along with a five-year action plan. The 'Brand Pakistan' website portal was all set, which would help tourists book holidays, give them weather updates and information about new destinations, traffic control, standardisation of guest houses and resorts. The Pakistan Prime Minister was all set to launch the campaign on April 18 and then Covid-19 hit," Bukhari said.
waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com
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