Senate panel urges providing origin cards to Pakistanis living in European states

ISLAMABAD: The Senate special committee to provide mechanism for implementation of recommendations of the Senate committees on Tuesday called for smooth issuance of the facility of Pakistani origin cards to those nationals living in the European countries.

The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Senator Dilawar Khan here at the Parliament House and was attended, among others, by Senators Nighat Mirza, Naseebullah Bazai, Moulvi Faiz, Haji Momin Khan Afridi, Khanzada Khan, Ayub Khan, Waleed Iqbal, Sajjad Hussain Turi, Aurangzeb Khan, Asad Ali Junejo, Sitara Ayaz, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, senior officials from the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Finance, Safron, the State Bank of Pakistan, the Bureau of Immigration, NADRA and PEIRA. The forum discussed the matter of resolving the matter in getting visas of Pakistanis staying in the European countries by issuing Pakistani origin cards. The committee was of the view that Pakistanis living abroad should be given the facility of these cards as the absence of this facility was also leading to use of illegal channels.

Director international immigration NADRA told the committee that the cards have not discontinued and are being issued regularly, however, case of those people who showed themselves as Afghan nationals and are now reclaiming the Pakistani citizenship have to go through more scrutiny.

The committee was told that those cases, who are related to Afghan nationals have to be routed through Ministry of Interior and they are issued Pakistani origin cards after a clearance of the Ministry of Interior. The committee decided to listen to the Ministry of Interior in the next meeting. Regarding the problems being faced by pensioners in merged districts of Kurram and Orakzai agency the committee was told that after the merger, this matter now comes under the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.