Dubai: Pakistani officials plan to establish an advisory council in the UAE to assist Pakistani expats facing problems back home, such as property disputes, college admissions and court cases.
The idea was announced in Dubai during a visit by a delegation of the newly-formed Punjab Overseas Pakistanis Commission (OPC).
Pakistanis in the UAE and elsewhere can approach the OPC to handle their grievances, usually property disputes, which fall within the realm of the Punjab province.
The advisory council will make recommendations for the redress of grievances and forward the complaints and suggestions to the OPC Commissioner.
“We set up advisory councils in countries where there are [sizeable numbers of] overseas Pakistanis,” Mohammad Afzal Bhatti, Commissioner, OPC, said.
Javed Jalil Khattak, Pakistan’s consul general in Dubai, said there are 1.3 million Pakistanis in the UAE, who remit $3.2 billion (Dh11.75 billion) back home.
“Definitely there are a number of issues which require resolution. OPC will address such issues, which we [Pakistani missions in the UAE] continue to bring to the notice of the [Pakistani] government,” Khattak added.
The OPC’s advisory council in the UAE, if formed, will coordinate and facilitate issues for Pakistani expats as a “single window” complaint handling system. The non-OPC route would be to approach the different Pakistani authorities separately.
The delegation, which was hosted by the Pakistan Business Council Dubai on Tuesday, said OPC had so far resolved 40 per cent of some 300 cases.
Property or land disputes among families seem to comprise 70 per cent of the cases, Bhatti added. A few concern the “land mafia” that illegally seizes expats’ property to extort money.
The commissioner said police and administrative officials were helping the OPC resolve issues within the promised 30-day period. However, in court matters, which are not under the OPC jurisdiction, the resolution time could be longer. Still, officials plan to work with the advocate general “to see what can be done about overseas Pakistanis’ cases and set deadlines in collaboration with courts”.
Bhatti said OPC would also raise the issue of the allocation of spaces for children of overseas Pakistani in Pakistan’s education system with the country’s prime minister.
Officials said issues not under the ambit of Punjab will be forwarded to the secretary-general of the relevant Pakistani province and followed up. OPC currently does not directly handle issues outside Punjab.
If OPC proves to be a success in Punjab, the plan is to push for a federal-level OPC.
“We’ve just started. It will be a success. We will raise this issue to start it in other provinces,” Shaheen Khalid, Vice Chairperson, OPC, said.
Iskander Sultan Khwaja, Officiating President, Pakistan Business Council Dubai, also urged the OPC to address the problem of land mafia and education seats for expats’ children.
