ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis on Tuesday recommended that supervisionof the Overseas Pakistan Foundation (OPF) not be isolated from parliament and the ministry.

The committee said the foundation should be made an authority rather than a private company, warning that otherwise the rights of millions of overseas Pakistanis may not be protected. It was also decided that the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) will be called to the next committee meeting.

During a briefing on the role of parliamentarians on OPF and Workers Welfare Fund’s board of governors, OPF managing director Habibur Rehman Gilani said there were two parliamentarians – Usman Khan Tarakai and Sheikh Salahuddin – on the last board of governors, but the SECP rules were changed in 2013 and no longer allowed parliamentarians to serve on the board.

‘OPF Housing Scheme faces issues such as water supply, electricity, possession of land, road access’

A committee member, MNA Aisha, said this was because OPF was functioning as a private company.

“In the past, a minister was the head of the board of governors, but now there is no one to protect the rights of millions of overseas Pakistanis. We need to take steps for the welfare of overseas Pakistanis, which are continuously increasing, as four million people went out of the country during the last six months,” she said.

She added: “Currently, overseas Pakistanis have been suffering. The OPF housing society in Islamabad is one of the examples, as the private company has no interest in addressing the issues of those Pakistanis who send foreign exchange for the country.”

Syed Sajid Mehdi, another committee member, said there should be government supervision of the OPF because of its importance. If not, he warned, Pakistanis working abroad would suffer.

MNA Chaudhry Mohammad Munir Azhar said the problem could be addressed by declaring OPF an authority rather than a company.

“There were a number of companies in Punjab, due to which there were problems. However, their issues were addressed and performance increased when they were declared authorities,” he said.

Committee chairman Malik Mohammad Uzair Khan suggested that the SECP be invited to the next meeting to discuss the matter, and also suggested that measures be taken to make OPF an authority in order to protect the rights of overseas Pakistanis.

The committee members then decided to form a subcommittee that will look into how OPF can be converted into an authority.

OPF Housing Scheme

During the meeting, committee member Sabiha Nazir raised the matter of the OPF Housing Scheme, which has not been completed for decades.

OPF managing director Habibur Rehman Gilani said the scheme was located on 5,000 kanals of land but faced a number of issues, such as water supply, electricity, possession of land and court cases.

He said the Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission is conducting an inquiry, and added that there is also the question of an approach road, as Japan Road cannot carry a huge traffic load.

“We are in touch with the CDA for the dualisation and widening of Japan Road. Moreover, 407 kanals of land have been under litigation since 2011, over 100 kanals are under illegal possession and 500 kanals have been given to a housing society to get greater road access,” he said.

He added: “As we were not aware of the land issues and were dependant on the revenue department, a tehsildar and patwari have been hired to assist us.”

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2017

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