ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (APP):Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Mohammad Awn Saqlain on Thursday said the government had a mechanism in place to repatriate the bodies of Pakistani workers who die abroad, with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) facilitating the process where its flights operate. Responding to questions in the National Assembly, he said 799 bodies of Pakistani workers had been reported over the past two years, while the overall number …
Govt has mechanism to repatriate bodies of Pakistani workers who die abroad: Minister
ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (APP):Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Mohammad Awn Saqlain on Thursday said the government had a mechanism in place to repatriate the bodies of Pakistani workers who die abroad, with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) facilitating the process where its flights operate.
Responding to questions in the National Assembly, he said 799 bodies of Pakistani workers had been reported over the past two years, while the overall number of Pakistani citizens who died abroad was higher.
The figures presented to the House related specifically to Pakistani workers in countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, other Gulf states and European countries.
He said the government provided compensation of up to $1 million in cases of death or disability of eligible workers, according to the applicable mechanism.
The minister said PIA continued to facilitate the transportation of bodies from countries where the national airline operated.
In countries where PIA did not operate, the ministry used an alternative mechanism involving the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) and other relevant officials to arrange repatriation.
He explained that the bodies were brought to Pakistan through arrangements with other airlines and relevant organisations, as PIA had previously transported such bodies free of cost.
Responding to a supplementary question by Aliya Kamran, the minister said the government had increased the pension-related facility for overseas Pakistani workers.
He said details of the initiative would be provided to members separately.
He added that the government reviewed and extended facilities annually, with increases ranging between 13 and 15 per cent, depending on the nature of the facility.
In response to another supplementary question by Shazia Marri, the minister said Community Welfare Attachés (CWAs) were deployed in Gulf countries as well as Europe to assist Pakistani workers and address their issues.
He said the CWAs maintained proper records of cases involving accidents, prisoners and other difficulties faced by Pakistani workers abroad.
In cases where workers were imprisoned or fined, the matter was examined by a committee, which arranged payment of fines where required to secure their release.
He said the government had also established a compensation mechanism through the OPF for Pakistani workers who suffered accidents or disabilities abroad.
He said overseas workers who died or suffered disability were covered under the relevant certification and insurance arrangements, while the OPF played its role in providing compensation to eligible workers and their families.
Replying to another question, Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Mohammad Awn Saqlain urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh governments to establish dedicated courts for overseas Pakistanis to resolve their land and property disputes.
He said Overseas Pakistanis Courts were operational in Islamabad and in 36 districts of Punjab.
He said these courts were hearing cases involving land and property disputes of overseas Pakistanis residing abroad.
The minister said no such court had so far been established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, despite a request already being under consideration by the provincial government.
He urged members from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to approach the provincial chief minister and seek early approval for establishing dedicated courts for overseas Pakistanis.
He also said a similar facility had yet to become operational in Sindh.
He appealed to members of the Pakistan Peoples Party to raise the matter with the Sindh chief minister and seek the establishment of courts for overseas Pakistanis in the province.
He said such courts were necessary to provide overseas Pakistanis with an effective mechanism for resolving their property-related disputes in Pakistan.
