Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the automation of the Power of Attorney for Overseas Pakistanis during a ceremony held today at the Prime Minister’s House. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and Chairman NADRA Muhammad Tariq Malik were also present.
The Foreign Minister, in his remarks on the occasion, congratulated the teams of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as NADRA for making the project a success. He highlighted that this project involved extensive legislative and technological work and was completed in a very short span of time. He reiterated that the Government attached utmost importance to the welfare of overseas Pakistanis under the guidance of the Prime Minister. He stated that welfare of the Pakistani community was one of the major functions of our Missions abroad alongwith economic diplomacy.
The Prime Minister, in his speech, stated that it was a historic day for overseas Pakistanis as the digitalization of Power of Attorney will facilitate around 75,000 overseas Pakistanis annually. While stressing the need for digitalization, he said that technology helps in simplification of procedures and the government was taking all possible measures for digitalization of various sectors. The issuance of Succession Certificate by NADRA was also a step in this direction. The Prime Minister added that Overseas Pakistanis were an asset for the country. They were the largest source of foreign remittances and their services must be recognized. The Prime Minister stressed that Overseas Pakistanis needed to be facilitated by all possible means.
During the ceremony, an Agreement was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NADRA, under which NADRA will provide 24/7 uninterrupted online services for attestation of Power of Attorney.
Automation of attestation of Power of Attorney has been a longstanding demand of the Overseas Pakistanis and will facilitate those who have to travel long distances from different cities and far-off places to the Missions. This automated system will reduce costs and minimize hassle by providing attestation services at the doorsteps.
The automation of Power of Attorney has been initially launched as a pilot project in ten Pakistan Missions/Sub-Missions in the United States and the United Kingdom and will be replicated shortly at all Pakistan Missions Abroad.
