ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (APP):Expressing disappointment over the performance of Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Council (OPAC), constituted two years back for effective communication with Pakistani diaspora, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zyed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari said the government was planning to revamp the body and bring down the members’ strength to 50 from 160.
“We are planning to curtail its number to 50 to make it a more efficient body,” the SAPM said in an interview with APP here.
With the inception of the OPAC, its member-strength was 75 that gradually increased and crossed the 160 figure, he said.
Zulfikar Bukhari said they would hire and keep intact only those workers who belonged to three categories including successful sociable businessmen, professionals and social workers, regretting that the body did nothing significant for welfare of the expatriates.
Bukhari held the previous government responsible for OPAC’s poor performance alleging that the former showed favoritism while selecting the members.
He was astonished to know high number of the OPAC members and said “I am here to make it workable rather hiring more and more people. Number of members means number of different opinions, how can we work with opinions’ influx,” he questioned.
A senior official of the Ministry said the board was formed to be aware of the problems being faced by the overseas Pakistanis in those areas where the country was not having the Community Welfare Attachees (CWAs).
He said the government was in the process of relocating these attachees to improve interaction with overseas Pakistanis.
The senior official said they would place more CWAs where the population of Pakistani diaspora in density. He also hinted at deputing two more attachees at Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where currently only four CWAs were dealing with high number of Pakistani manpower there.
He said the ministry was working day and night to redress the problems being faced by the overseas Pakistanis on the clear directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan who was keen in providing optimum care to the Pakistani diaspora working abroad to serve the country.
