NA panel reviews Pakistan’s global consular presence

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s (NA) Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Tuesday reviewed the ministry’s global consular presence and discussed a comparative analysis of Pakistan’s consular presence in regional countries.

The meeting of the NA panel was presided by its chairperson Hina Rabbani Khar at the Parliament House, which deliberated on key matters, including status of Pakistan’s consulates worldwide.

The committee reviewed the overall status of Pakistan’s consulates abroad and the details provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the number of officers and staff in each consulate, the ownership status of consulate buildings along with rent details where applicable, the employment of local staff, and officers from other ministries/institutions deputed to consulates.

A performance review of consular operations over the past five years was presented before the committee, highlighting key achievements.

The representatives of the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Information and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also briefed the committee about their presence abroad and the activities undertaken by them to strengthen Pakistan’s relations with other countries.

While commenting on the consular presence of Pakistan’s missions abroad, Ms Khar urged the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Commerce and others to review their consular presence according to the realities of the present day.

The meeting issued directives for taking follow-up actions like a comprehensive review of foreign missions, including finding mechanisms to address repair and maintenance spending in missions abroad and extending legal aid to overseas Pakistanis in need.

The meeting was attended by the committee members Ali Zahid, Ms Nuzhat Sadiq, Ms Farah Naz Akbar, Dr M. Farooq Sattar, M. Ijaz-ul-Haq, Dr Amjad Ali Khan, Isphanyar M. Bhandara, Syed Mustafa Mehmood, Atif Khan, M. Khan Daha and Ms Shandana Gulzar Khan, while Danyal Ch. participated via zoom.