Senate body for expediting transfer pacts of prisoners

#Senate #body #expediting #transfer #pacts #prisoners

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Zeeshan Khanzada, chairman of the overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, has urged the Foreign Ministry to finalize the transfer agreements, which allows Pakistani prisoners to fulfill their domestic laws.

Presiding over a committee meeting here on Thursday, he also requested comprehensive data about Pakistanis imprisoned in Iran, Iraq and other countries, which will be reviewed at the next meeting. The meeting focused on key issues, including foreign employment opportunities, access to health care for overseas Pakistanis, and progress on prisoner return contracts.

In response to questions from Senator Raja Nasir Abbas and Senator Khanzada, officials revealed that although there was a memorandum of understanding with Iraq, no concrete progress has been made. Senator Khanzada expressed concern over consular and lack of legal aid for Pakistanis imprisoned abroad, saying: “The problem of supporting our consulate is serious. It has not received proper attention, and we have to move forward in the area.”

He inquired whether the transfer of any prisoner was hindered due to limited capacity in Pakistani facilities. The Interior Ministry confirmed that when there were obstacles, no transition was delayed on this basis. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Interior Ministry informed the committee on existing agreements with countries including Azerbaijan, China, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. Under these agreements, the return home included 14 Iranian prisoners, 27 from Saudi Arabia, 97 from Sri Lanka, and 47 from Thailand. Khanzada emphasized the need to finalize the pending agreements and increase the institutional mechanisms to protect the rights of Pakistanis abroad. The committee also focused on issues of long -standing land encroachments related to the overseas Pakistani Foundation (OPF), including the recovery of illegally occupied plots in the 30 -year dispute. With updating tax issues with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), a detailed briefing will be presented at the next meeting about land and court issues.

The committee was updated on talks with Belarus to increase employment opportunities for Pakistani workers. The dialogue is currently at the MoU stage, with recruitment to confirm the requirements of the manpower. The ministry has not yet reported formal demand or skill data from Belarus.

Khanzada highlighted the importance of identifying parts of specific manpower or semi -skilled workers demanded clear definitions for smooth the visa process. He noted that both East and Western Europe offer job markets and urge the government to take advantage of these opportunities from strategy. Confirming the affiliation with Pakistanis abroad, they advocated for their voting rights and proposed extension of coverage of Pakistani workers and their families overseas. He also demanded the representation of Daspura in the Prime Minister’s Task Force for overseas Pakistanis.

The committee was informed that more than 200 million people are currently in Pakistan, including Pakistanis abroad, in which efforts are underway to increase it to Sindh. The program provides treatment only through joint hospitals. Khanzada questioned whether a separate health scheme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would include treatment abroad. The ministry replied that the program is still on development. The committee also reviewed the recently overseas Pakistani convention, attended by more than 1,200 participants. Eighteen instructions were issued by the Prime Minister, a task force was assigned to develop a comprehensive strategy within a month, focusing on remittances, investment, skilled labor export, and facilitating services.

For Pakistanis abroad, the duties of duties and taxation on mobile phones were also discussed. Khanzada reiterated his support for such measures and suggested that he allowed the import of a used car (up to 1600 cc) for personal use.

The meeting was attended by Senators Gordeep Singh, Shahadat Owen, Raja Nasir Abbas, and senior officials of the concerned ministries and departments.