Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday took notice of incidents involving unnecessary stopping of workers travelling abroad and ordered immediate corrective measures.
Following the prime minister’s approval, a 14-member high-level committee has been constituted to address the issue and streamline immigration-related procedures.
According to an official notification, the committee will be headed by the Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis. The federal minister for information technology and the minister of state for overseas Pakistanis have also been included as members of the committee. Senior officials, including the IT secretary and Overseas Pakistanis secretary, are part of the committee.
The committee includes the Pakistan Digital Authority chairman, Overseas Employment Promoters Association chairman, chief executive of the National Information Technology Board (NITB) and the director general of the Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment. Representatives from NADRA, FIA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Interior have also been included to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive approach.
Terms of Reference (TORs) for the committee have been finalized. The committee has been tasked with making recommendations for the online issuance of the Protector of Immigrants stamp, proposing steps for its online renewal, and suggesting improvements in immigration clearance arrangements to facilitate overseas workers.
The committee has been directed to submit a comprehensive report to the Prime Minister within three weeks. The initiative is aimed at reducing hardships faced by overseas workers, improving transparency, and leveraging digital solutions to ensure smoother and more efficient travel processes.