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Overseas Pakistani – Need for Coordinated Strategy and Policy
July 08, 2011
Institutions like the OPF, the Overseas Employment Bureau (OEB) and the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), which thrive on overseas Pakistanis’ money, should either deliver or be shown the exit door. The problems of overseas Pakistanis need to be viewed as a humanitarian issue and not a bureaucratic subject treated with indifference and handled routinely. These agencies and institutions, until now, have only been looking after the welfare of their employees, rather than that of the overseas Pakistanis.
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The most common social phenomenon since the last quarter of previous century has been the mass migration of people, mostly from the Third World countries, primarily in search of greener pastures. There have also been frequent instances of seeking refuge and asylum from civil war and religious persecution. Indeed this aspect has engaged the attention of most international NGOs and the UN. The concerns for protection of the rights of people migrating to other countries for economic reasons on security factors have led to a number of international legal instruments designed to protect their rights.
Most expatriates consist of unskilled labourers, seeking employment opportunity in developed countries. They not only contribute to the economic development of the country where they work, but also make a handsome contribution to the economy of their own country, through remittance of their savings. In Asia, countries with largest number of such expatriates are India, Pakistan, Philippines and Indonesia. The Pakistani disapora provides $10 billion every year by way of foreign exchange remittances, which is a major source of sustenance to Pakistani foreign exchange reserves.
It is estimated that today about seven million Pakistanis are working overseas despite economic recession in many Gulf States. These Pakistanis, on an average, have been remitting $ 10 billion every year. Thus, they have become a strong factor, if indirectly, in the economic development of Pakistan. A migrant worker also had a plethora of problems ranging from the treatment meted out to him by the employer, to the problems faced by his family at home in the absence of male members. The government, to meet these requirements, set up the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) in July 1978, and a special division in the federal government was created to oversee the working of the OPF and other organizations, set up ostensibly for overseas Pakistanis’ welfare.
OPF was given the task of providing the families of the migrant workers with education, health and housing facilities among others benefits. Since the majority of migrant workers were from the rural areas and the remittances from abroad raised the social profile of recipients, there were demands for institutional support. OPF has a staff exceeding 500 today and has been in existence since 1969. Yet it has hardly had any success to its credit. Housing schemes are initiated and given up for lack of experience, particularly Zone V in Rawalpindi could be a major scandal, both administrative and financial, if its record is scrutinized. Similarly, in the educational sphere, the performance of the OPF has been dismal. It premier institution, OPF College for Girls in Islamabad has remained in the news headlines for fraudulent and unlawful actions affecting the students’ future.
The efforts for housing facilities, however, fell victim to the prevalent fraud, malpractices and bogus land acquisition, etc. Some facilities at the airports were also announced for these overseas Pakistanis in recognition of their role for the economy, but remained largely on paper.
The story of the official response to the vital role that the migrant workers are playing by providing almost equivalent of the foreign exchange reserves makes a sad reading. Every Pakistani, prior to his departure, is obligated to pay Rs.2,000 of which the share of OPF is Rs.1,050, with the balance going to other government agencies concerned with overseas Pakistanis. Various governments during their tenure also held conventions abroad to know about their problems and their proposed solutions. The demands for (a) quota for overseas students in Pakistani institutions, (b) the CDA to provide land to the OPF for housing schemes in D-13 and E-13 sectors and (c) setting up of an industrial estate at Chakri, have remained largely unresponded.
There is increasing awareness of the vital role that overseas Pakistanis, through home remittances, are playing in the economic development of the country, and hence there are routine statements by the leadership extolling overseas Pakistanis’ contribution and assurances of providing all support at home, while he/she is toiling hard abroad in inhospitable conditions. But lack of any coherent policy and overseas Pakistanis having no leverage at home to do advocacy on their behalf or force the authorities to deliver on their promises, have left them bitter and angry.
The major problems that overseas Pakistani face in the Gulf are the humiliating treatment by the individual employer, bad living and working conditions, absence of any provision of support in case of accident or sickness, which make these US dollars highly valuable, as they are earned by them at the cost of denial of their personal comfort and welfare. The overseas Pakistani is at the mercy of his employers, who are becoming more and more exploitative, and having no avenue for redress. The Pakistani embassy in the majority cases fails to play an effective role in mitigating their hardships and redressing the complaints. In many instances, the local authorities do not respond at all, or if they do at the persistence of the embassy, the response is generally perfunctory.
There is a need to take a fresh look at the issue of the welfare of overseas Pakistanis and devise policies aimed at meeting their genuine requirements, both at home and abroad. The embassies should be energized and welfare attaches posted at these missions should keep regular contacts with both the overseas Pakistani and his employer. The government should also change its attitude and revamp the institutions dealing with the welfare of overseas Pakistanis. The institutions have been set up with the funds that the overseas Pakistani is required to pay for the services rendered. Not a single penny is paid by the government treasury on the upkeep of these organizations. The record and performance of all these institutions, if not an abject failure, leaves much to be desired.
If the government is genuinely interested in the welfare of overseas Pakistanis, it should frame policies that could protect the interests of overseas Pakistanis both in the country and abroad. Most of the Gulf countries introduce arbitrary law affecting the future of overseas Pakistanis, deport them without letting the home government know, and even imprison them for minor violations of local laws with impunity. The unfortunate overseas Pakistanis languish in jails without access to any legal support or intervention by their embassies on their behalf. Parliament was recently informed that over the last two years, 115,762 Pakistanis have been deported and 6,337 Pakistani are languishing in alien jails.
Islamabad has so far taken a very mild approach to such treatment in the overall interests of bilateral relations. This attitude must change. The employers abroad should be held accountable and responsible for migrant workers’ welfare. No overseas Pakistani in future should be allowed to take up a job without a written contract, which must be balanced and provide mutual obligations. All overseas Pakistanis must have life and accident insurance and the interests of their family must be fully protected.
Institutions like the OPF, the Overseas Employment Bureau (OEB) and the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), which thrive on overseas Pakistanis’ money, should either deliver or be shown the exit door. The problems of overseas Pakistanis need to be viewed as a humanitarian issue and not a bureaucratic subject treated with indifference and handled routinely. These agencies and institutions, until now, have only been looking after the welfare of their employees, rather than that of the overseas Pakistanis.
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