17 non-career ambassadors, HCs working abroad, Senate told

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz Wednesday told the Senate that as many as 17 non-career ambassadors and high commissioners were working abroad, including eight retired personnel from the armed forces.

The House was also informed that the Employees Old-age Benefits Institution (EOBI) would be devolved only after the court decision, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan had approached courts for they wanted the Centre should continue running it, as their contribution was less, whereas Punjab and Sindh were self-sufficient and wanted its devolution in line with the Constitution to the four federating units.

 During the question hour, in a written reply to a question by PTI’s Senator Muhammad Azam Swati, the adviser said that the non-career appointees were from Punjab (11), Sindh (3) and one each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and AJK.

They are: Shahzad Ahmad, posted in Qatar, Rafat Mahdi, posted in Spain, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Washington, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, New York (UN), Major Gen (R) Syed Shakeel Hussain, Colombo, Lt Gen (R) Agha Muhammad Umer Farooq, Nigeria, Kamran Shafi, Cuba, Lt Gen (R) Shafaat Ullah Shah, Amman, Tariq Azim Khan, Ottawa, Vice Admiral (R) Sayyid Khawar Ali, Maldives, Nadir Chaudhri, Rabat, Air Marshal (R) Athar Hussain Bukhari, Damascus, Maj Gen (R) Athar Abbas, Ukraine, Masood Khalid, Beijing, Javed Malik, Bahrain, Maj Gen (R) Tariq Rashid Khan, Brunei Darussalam and Lt Gen (R) Salim Nawaz, posted in Bosnia Herzegovina.

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Pir Syed Sadaruddin Shah Rashid, in reply to a volley of queries by Senator Mian Muhammad Attique Sheikh, Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of MQM and Azam Swati of PTI, said that pension was fixed at Rs5,250 and could be increased only through legislation. Senators insisted the sum of pension was too paltry and must be revised upward, as the institution had sufficient funds at its disposal.

He pointed out that an amount of Rs835 million was provided by the Ministry of Finance, as the last actuarial valuation of the fund done in 2012, which did not recommend the increase in pension without commensurate enhancement in contribution. He added that at present there was no proposal under consideration to increase pension.

The task of disbursement of pension was given to Bank Al-Falah through bidding, which had over 600 branches and ATMs and biometric machines for the facility of pensioners, he said and explained that due to mechanism of ATM machines, an amount exceeding the multiple of Rs500 might be withdrawn next month.

Replying to questions by PML-N Senator Ch Tanvir Khan, M Azam Musakhail of PkMAP, Azam Swati of PTI and Kamil Ali Agha of PML-Q, BNP-Mengal Dr. Jehanzeb Jamaldini and MQM’s Mian Attique, Sartaj Aziz said that the issue of Pakistanis held, carrying drugs was a cause of defamation for Pakistan and revealed that because of this, certain countries had stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis.

He said the House standing committee’s recommendations had been dispatched to all the relevant departments and security had been tightened at airports, which had showed very good results to deal with the issue of drugs. Aziz contended that all the entities, including religious seminaries would have to play their role in combating this menace. He added the related laws were stringent.

The adviser denied any innocent Pakistani had been arrested in Saudi Arabia and jailed there. He maintained that the Pakistanis, fined had been got released after payment of the fine from the welfare fund.

However, he conceded that there was shortage of Pakistani staff in Saudi Arabia and Dubai and that a summary had been moved for more personnel. He said there were 364 Pakistanis jailed in Riyadh, Jubail, Buridah, Dammam, Khober and Oniza. Moreover, 354 Pakistanis were detained, whose cases were under trial in various jails. 

Among other things, he noted, the Saudi Arabian government provided translators facility to the accused during the process of investigation and proceedings in the courts and in serious offences, lawyers were provided on government expenses. However, in cases of pending before the labor court, translators were provided by the Pak embassy.

To another question by Senator Mian Attique, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada said that the federal government had constructed 64 cricket stadiums across Pakistan, whereas presently eleven stadiums are managed by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

He explained the subject of sports had been devolved and now repair and maintenance of the sport stadiums was the responsibility of provincial governments. He added the matter relating to a cricket stadium in Islamabad was in court, though CDA had provided land for this purpose.