SC orders redressing overseas Pakistanis complaints

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed taking special affirmative measures for ensuring the legal rights of overseas Pakistanis and redressing their complaints regarding undue delay in deciding their cases.

A two-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Yahya Afridi issued the directives in a case filed by Haji Muhammad Younas relating to a property dispute.

He has filed an appeal against an order of the Peshawar High Court. The judgment authored by Justice Yahya Afridi said the disadvantageous position of overseas Pakistanis required urgent positive attention of all organs of the state.

The court said overseas Pakistanis, being not in Pakistan, could not pursue their cases as efficiently as locals and were thus in a disadvantaged position. The court said the public institutions could, therefore, take affirmative action and make certain special provisions for protecting their lawful rights and redressing their genuine grievances.

The court was informed that the Lahore High Court has taken certain administrative measures for early decisions on the cases of overseas Pakistanis and the Punjab Assembly has enacted a law to redress the grievances of overseas Pakistanis relating to government agencies.

The court appreciated these actions and expected that other provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory would follow suit. The court directed sending a copy of the judgment to the registrars of all high courts and the secretaries of all provincial departments and the Federal Law Ministry, for their information and appropriate action.