ISLAMABAD: All ambassadors of Pakistan serving in 92 missions around the world have been asked to allocate one day every week for personal hearing of complaints of overseas Pakistanis.

The directive has been conveyed through a letter addressed to the Foreign Office by Senior Adviser / Registrar and Grievance Commissioner for Overseas Pakistanis Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmed Khokher. The letter was written after federal ombudsman of Pakistan issued a similar communication.

The Foreign Office has been asked to ensure that all focal persons posted to 92 missions are actively working for the resolution of issues being faced by overseas Pakistanis. The performance and welfare reports must be submitted by each ambassador to the ombudsman’s secretariat on a monthly basis, the letter said.

According to a statement issued on Sunday, the grievance commissioner has directed all the ambassadors to upload their contact numbers and information about focal persons, including their contact information (telephone, mobile, email), on their respective websites.

He also asked for setting up of one window facilitation desks at international airports in Pakistan so that overseas Pakistanis could contact them or avail of the facilities for resolution of their issues.

Mr Khokher also issued instructions to the officials of National Database and Registration Authority, passport department, information officers and commercial counsellors serving in embassies to enhance their efforts for addressing the problems of overseas Pakistanis on a priority basis.

All ambassadors have been told to set up online appointment system for overseas Pakistanis so that they could get their issues resolved without any hassle.

The passport department has been asked to open new counters, make separate arrangement for women and increase their staff in Riyadh and other Middle Eastern countries.

In Pakistan, one window facilitation desks have already been established at Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Multan airports. The seventh such desk will be set up at Sialkot airport in February.

The grievance commissioner said that various problems of overseas Pakistanis such as lost luggage, boarding, porters, taxi and immigration would be heard at the federal ombudsman’s secretariat at 2pm on Jan 29.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2016