Islamabad: The special assistant to the prime minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD), Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, on Wednesday launched a web portal called ‘Naya Pakistan Calling’, aimed at securing the services and contributions of Pakistanis in the diaspora.
The portal will provide members of the diaspora in diverse fields a gateway through which they can share their professional skills and experiences Bukhari said, while addressing its launch ceremony at the Overseas Pakistan Foundation (OPF) office here.
Pakistani expatriates can submit their CVs on the portal and register themselves by selecting their area of interests where they intend to serve.
On the portal’s website, the government says Pakistanis in the diaspora will be be involved in strategic decision making by placing them as members of such Boards, Authorities, Commissions, etc.
'Own' country
Bukhari reiterated the government’s resolve of maximum capitalisation of this resourceful segment, urging direct involvement of overseas Pakistanis in strategic decision making with the aim to give them a sense of ownership in their ‘own’ country.
Terming the initiative ‘reversal’ of the brain drain, he said overseas Pakistanis would be given ownership under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, regretting that they were not on the priority list of previous governments.
From the very first day of this government, Zulfikar Bukhari said, “We focused on maximum utilisation of this valuable asset, who left their homes and children behind expecting better treatment on coming back in return to their huge contribution for the country’s economic growth.”
He announced the opening of an ownership cell in the ministry by month-end to remove the diaspora’s sense of deprivation, which he said developed due to non-productive policies of the past regimes.
“This is a step in the right direction to provide a digital platform to Pakistani expatriates at this stage,” Bukhari said
He said a number of overseas Pakistanis contacted him about making investment in Pakistan, something for which the government was working out a framework to remove the red tape and flaws in the process.
Meanwhile, Federal Secretary for OP&HRD Mohammad Asif said the launch of portal was part of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s first 100 days reforms initiative plan.
He said, before the official launch of the portal, the department did test-runs, during which as many as 380 expatriates submitted their CVs, while particulars of 30 notable overseas Pakistanis had been forwarded to the relevant departments for necessary action and process.
“We are ready to engage those overseas professionals who could share their skills in different relevant fields online. Besides, this portal will also help connect the department with those who are willing to come to Pakistan for serving the country,” Asif added.
When the top brass of the ministry recently reviewed the OPF mandate, he said “We perceived that the OPF is missing a very important task which is reintegration of repatriates.”
Commending his team’s efforts in developing the portal in just 26 days, he said the Ministry was working on fast-track since Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government came into power.
Giving a demo to the audience of registration process on the portal, Managing Director Dr Amir Shaikh said, interested expatriates had to add their qualification, area of interest and experience in particular field after registering themselves on the department’s official site. The OPF, after verifying their particulars, would recommend the successful aspirants to relevant department, considering their abilities, knowledge and experience, Amir Sheikh added.
The MD said the portal contained a database, comprising of professional profiles of overseas Pakistanis, which would be accessible to all stakeholders.
They (expats) are a potential source of opportunities including trade, investment, innovation and technical knowledge, he added.
