October 15, 2003	Wednesday	Sha'aban 18, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 14: The People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Senator Enver Baig has criticized the performance of the ministry of labour, manpower and overseas Pakistanis and demanded inquiry into alleged bungling in various institutions running under the ministry.

Talking to newsmen at the party’s media centre here on Tuesday, the PPP senator questioned the performance of Overseas Employment Corporation of Pakistan (OECP), Employees Old Age Benefit Institute (EOBI) and Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF), running under the ministry.

He said Malaysia had recently lifted a ban on import of manpower and announced jobs for 300,000 Pakistanis. There were reports that the ministry wanted to export the manpower on its own without involving private sector, he added.

He said five years ago Malaysia had imposed ban on Pakistani manpower owing to corruption in the OECP.

He feared if the OECP was again given the task to export manpower there would be favouritism and it would earn a bad name for the country.

The PPP senator said even Pakistan’s embassy in Seoul (South Korea) had sent a letter to the government asking it not to send people abroad through the OECP.

He said why the government wanted to nationalize this trade when every institution was being privatized.