ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday the government will provide facilities to overseas Pakistanis for investment in the country according to their expertise.

He said the government was striving to resolve the issues of overseas Pakistanis on a priority basis and working to provide them more facilities. He said the overseas Pakistanis would be given opportunities of investment in the country, a press release of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) quoted the prime minister as saying.

The PM was presiding over a special meeting on matters related to overseas Pakistanis.

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Syed Asim Munir also attended the meeting.

Assures overseas Pakistanis their issues will be resolved on a priority basis; leaves for Turkiye today

The meeting reviewed the decisions taken in a recent overseas Pak­istanis’ convention held this month, a source in the PMO told Dawn.

The incentives include revival of the Green Channel, setting up of special courts, tax remissions, education and job quotas, civil awards, and skill development opportunities, etc.

Overseas Pakistanis had played the role of ambassadors of Pakistan in the outside world, the prime minister said, adding that they have rendered great services for the country.

“We salute the true sentiments of overseas Pakistanis and their love and sacrifices for their country,” he said, adding the overseas Pakistanis had made a name for themselves and their country by working diligently all across the world.

The prime minister said that expatriates worked day and night as professionals in the fields of medicine, education, engineering, and con­­sultancy.

The prime minister said that those overseas Pakistanis who performed prominently in different fields and those who sent highest remittances through the State Bank would be given civil awards in view of their services to the country.

Turkiye visit

PM Shehbaz Sharif is leaving today (Tuesday) on a two-day official visit to Turkiye.

According to the Foreign Office, the prime minister will hold extensive discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on bilateral relations, besides exchanging views on recent developments in the region and beyond.

The FO said that as long-standing allies and strategic partners, Pakistan and Turkiye maintained a tradition of regular high-level exchanges, reflecting the exceptional bonds of brotherhood between the two nations.

The two countries have also institutionalised leadership-level mechanism in the form of High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) for cooperation and coordination on various issues of mutual interest.

The seventh session of HLSCC was held in Islamabad on February 12 and 13 this year. President Erdo­gan and Prime Minister Shehbaz had co-chaired the session.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2025