MINISTER for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Farooq Sattar has said in London that failing to give ownership to overseas Pakistanis in the national development and ‘construction’ will jeopardise the integrity and security of Pakistan.

It is generally not known so far what he has practically done for the overseas Pakistanis.

His only swift action known is that when after remaining out for a while the MQM came back following having successful bargaining the first thing he did was the removal of the managing director of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation who had sent a bill for office rent to the minister.

Mehran Town in Karachi is an exclusive housing scheme for overseas Pakistanis. It is almost completely illegally occupied. Every illegal construction there has a flag, mostly of the MQM, the PPP and the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz.

It is believed that some senior elements of these three parties have been patronising this illegal occupation.

Farooq Sattar two years ago had denied this, adding that some low - level MQM activists might be involved in their ‘personal’ capacity and he would soon visit the site. It is now two years but no action has been taken in this regard.

If he believes, as he said in his address in London, that presence of these overseas Pakistanis was essential in national ‘construction’, then would he and his party officially care to see that these overseas Pakistanis also have a practical role to play in ‘construction’ of their own homes in this housing colony of theirs.

KAUSAR PERVEEN Jeddah, Saudi Arabia