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ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (APP):The National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development on Thursday reviewed the implementation of prior directions and to receive progress briefings from the Ministry, the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment (BEOE), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and asked the relevant authorities for opening of new Protector Offices and full E-Protector digitization.
The meeting was chaired by Chairman MNA Syed Rafiullah, said a press release.
On Protector Offices, the Acting Secretary confirmed approvals in process but acknowledged budgetary constraints and logistical delays. The committee made plain that such constraints cannot excuse further delay, recommended that new offices are to be made operational during the current financial year.
The committee further recommended that Protector services be tightly integrated with NADRA and other e-government platforms to guarantee identity verification and reduce dependence on intermediaries. It also pressed for a better national roll-out of E-Protector and for immediate steps to shorten processing times.
Officials reported that approximately 60,000 users have accessed E-Protector services to date and the committee demanded measurable service-level targets, enhanced user support, and an outreach/awareness campaign (SMS, social media and local outreach) so emigrants may use the service directly.
The Chair emphasized that digitization must be accompanied by accountability, online tracers, payment receipts, and grievance-tracking must be live and verifiable.
Members reviewed proposals to increase compensation ceilings and to extend claim windows (including consideration of lengthening coverage beyond five years). The committee recorded that the ministry has acted on previous committee advice and introducing higher coverage limits and extended eligibility periods.
The committee reiterated its prior direction that all fees and related payments be routed through formal banking and recognized digital payment channels to ensure traceability.
The ministry was instructed to finalize consultations with banks and digital providers and submit a promoter-fee policy that includes a model receipt/invoice, a capped schedule of permissible promoter charges and an enforcement mechanism with penalties for over-charging and mis-behaviour. FIA was directed to provide the committee with a consolidated register of promoter complaints, including family-tree analyses of blacklisted promoters and status of prosecutions.
Institutional capacity matters were addressed in detail. BEOE’s staffing position was reviewed, a time-bound recruitment schedule, accompanied by litigation summaries, was required. Where legal impediments exist, the committee asked for a brief from the Law Officer detailing remedial options.
The committee also considered a range of other issues, progress on Malta visa facilitation, the backlog of 1,000 nursing placements to Kuwait, and jobs-portal metrics (noted figures of live postings and identified opportunities). Members asked for concrete placement timetables, employer-verification protocols and evidence of bilateral engagement.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Erum Hamid, Mah Jabeen Khan Abbasi, Zulfiqar Ali Behn, Saeeda Jamshid, Dr Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto, Sofia Saeed Shah (virtually), and Muhammad Ilyas Choudhary.