September 15, 2007	Saturday	Ramazan 2, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Sept 14: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has called for an appropriate proposal, to be forwarded to the Election Commission, to give voting right to overseas Pakistanis holding dual nationality.

About seven million Pakistanis are working overseas and many of them hold dual nationality.

Speaking at a meeting held here on Friday to review the performance of the Overseas Pakistanis Division (OPD), the prime minister said the government considered the overseas Pakistanis a major asset and true ambassadors of the country.

He asked the authorities concerned to send more workers abroad and facilitate participation of overseas Pakistanis in the country’s economic development.

The prime minister said the government was focusing on skills development so that workers could fetch higher wages.

Earlier, the prime minister was informed about the role, responsibility and functioning of the OPD which was set up in 2004 under the Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis.

Federal Minister for Labour, Work Force and Overseas Pakistanis Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Raza Hayat Hirraj were present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, talking to a group of parliamentarians who called on him at the PM house, the prime minister claimed credit for promoting democratic values in the country.

He said the ruling coalition had decided to support President General Pervez Musharraf’s re-election because the country had progressed in every field under his leadership.

Condemning the recent acts of violence, the prime minister regretted the loss of innocent lives and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continue its fight against extremism.

Parliamentarians who called on him included Minister of State for Environment Malik Amin Aslam and MNAs Gohar Ayub Khan, M.P. Bhandara and Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada.

In a meeting with Minister for Religious Affairs Ijaz-ul-Haq, the prime minister said that all-out efforts were being made to send maximum number of people to perform Haj.

According to a handout, the meeting decided that all possible facilities would be provided to pilgrims during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

Chief Whip in the National Assembly Sardar Nasrullah Dreshak also attended the meeting.

The minister for religious affairs informed the prime minister about transportation, buildings and other arrangements made by the Haj directorate.

He said that 160,000 people would perform Haj this year and they would travel between November 13 and December 13.

About 12,000 Hajis will go straight to Madina.