The government has appointed an Ambassador at Large particularly for Overseas Pakistanis (OPs). Likewise in its own wisdom the Government separating the one Ministry has made two separate Ministries namely one as Ministry of Labour & Manpower and second one as a new as Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis. As we are told this way the new Ministry will serve the OPs better. Such schemes or such new appointments whatever the label may given serve no practical purpose except that through this modus operandi some new posts are created, some dear ones are accommodated, some orders for new furniture computer etc are placed. The official wording of one of the good institution fortunately still remaining the NA Public Accounts Committee 3-4 years back can never be forgotten which observed that the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, Overseas Pakistanis Foundation or any other authority has no interest with Overseas Pakistanis. It was correct and still is correct. Appointments of Ambassadors at large, special envoys for OPs are merely providing of jobs to some.
2. The Ambassador at Large is planning establishing an Overseas Pakistanis Council. What would it do and what the earlier ones did; namely the then Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Committee formed by the then Chief Executive General Pervaiz Musharraf, the Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Council still existing. General Musharraf had at least created an on line web site through which Overseas Pakistanis complaints mostly pertaining against NADRA and Embassies were used to be listened, attended to and to a good extent resolved which the Government of the Ambassador at Large has now abolished. Today writing to the President does not even bring even an acknowledgement. The Ambassador at Large perhaps does not know that there already exists an Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Council comprising selected people from different countries most of whom were selected merely on personal likings by the Embassies and hardly out of them is of any practical worth. What has this Advisory Council till today done which the new Council will do.
3. The thoughts of the Ambassador at large are very good. He wishes to mobilize the OPs in different places to invest in Pakistan. I wish first he shifts his own business from UAE and invests in Pakistan which will definitely inject a heavy doze of very badly needed confidence amongst other OPs.
4. He has scheduled an OPs Convention likely to be in Dubai by end this year which to me is just another futile exercise on much expense to already debit ridden country.
5. Everyone who took charge as Overseas Pakistanis Minister or Managing Director OPF always raised the slogan of revamping the OPF, as has claimed the Ambassador at Large, but in practice the OPF went further down. All spent just time or the most used OPF cars because none had any real intent nor the strength or the ability to perform. The only one and a really good proficient one was seen for a year or so during Nawaz Sharif tenure. His name was Mr. Zaffarullah Khan or Mr. Mohammad Zafar something like this. He was really a real Head of this OPF. But as the fate is good men do not remain for long at a places where they are badly needed he was soon in a year or so transferred elsewhere. His quality was that any thing addressed to him, he personally read it, evaluated it, understood it and then as is required he took up the same matter on his own letter head under his own signature as if the issue was initiated by him. Unlike the ever existing practice in OPF his taken up issues did not travel down side like to a Section officer of this Ministry or to an Assistant Director that Department but to upper higher ranking. The most wonderful from him was that without any need of concerned OP reminding, he himself remembered and followed the issue. Otherwise in OPF what happens is even if you put some really good suggestion or proposal for collective interest of OPs, it will as a post office forwarded to some one with one standard sentence enclosed here with please find a complaint received from Mr... For the OPF everything coming from the OPs is always a complaint. They just work like post office, postmen and senior postmen from bottom to top. I do remember having seen a letter from OPF which the then Member Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Council showed to the community members present in the Club which read Herewith please find a complaint received from late Mr. which meant even the dead were addressing complaints to OPF from the heavy or hell.
6. The Ambassador at Large in line with useless schemes like Convention wishes to touch the OPs problems of having a house in Pakistan and for this he sees the solution to OPF and private partnership. This is purely his vision being of a businessman himself. OPF is plagued with irregularities added with almost inept staff from bottom to top. The housing is really a major problem of OPs. There is only one and the only one single satisfactory and safe solution to it. If anyone tells me to the contrary he is to fool himself not to me. The only solution is that at the higher level the House Building Finance Corporation is contacted persuading it to construct houses for OPs initially on OPF Raiwind Road Housing Scheme Lahore. It be asked to prepare two standard design plans each for 10 marla and one kanal plots. For 10 marla eg two designs 2 bedroom, one kitch etc and the other 2 bedroom one additional on upper story etc. The OPF directs all its allottees either to construct their own houses on those plots within a year or accept HBFC plan. HBFC is rich in experience by construction a very successful project for Overseas Pakistanis. It is a trustable organization. A few years back I do remember its Technical Director in Dubai stated it was ready to construct houses for OPs on easy monthly installments provided in bulk a whole project is given to it not the individual scattered houses. There can be no better, most convenient and most viable sketch for the OPs. No body can convince me contrary that OPF and private partnership can deliver anything. But I am sure OPF will not take any real interest in this for obvious reason as its policy makers would wish to go for private partnership to run the project as happened with its Beach City project in Karachi.
7. The Ambassador at Large says he himself is an Overseas Pakistani hence he understands the problems of OPs. It is wrong. Senator Tariq Azeem himself was a long stand OP and what performance he showed there should be no hope that OPs coming into power can do any collective good except for talking, conferencing and showing green green gardens. I remember I myself then was an OP when Senator Azeem Tariq a long standing Businessman abroad and an OP visited Middle East as Minister for Overseas Pakistanis. I had very long stopped attending such VIP/Ministers, reading their statements after Shaikh Rashid Ahmed became a Minister for OPs. However since Senator Tariq Azeem was an OP and there had been a belief that when OPs would come into power having seen good governance abroad they will do good for the country, I decided to attend the public community gathering he was to address. I could not believe my ears when this OP told the audience that he was preparing to include ovens, cookers, air conditions etc on incentive list of Sliver and Gold Cards. It was beyond my imagination. I came to the gathering hoping that this OP Minister will tell us that see I have abolished the very basic idea of so called God or Silver Cards because we are Pakistanis, we are to send to Pakistan for which we do not need any incentives or alluring Cards. New and new imports on free list are only to damage Pakistani industry. The other thing is that who today from Middle East or Europe takes in his baggage ACs, Refrigerators since due to their heavy weight these at the end cost so much that in that amount two ACs can be purchased in Pakistan. Just a normal window AC from middle east reaches Lahore at minimum at Rs. 40,000/- (air freight custom, transport etc) whereas with the blessing of our customs, rangers, coast guard etc ALHAMADOLLIAH every thing smuggled cheaply is available in Pakistan. A split AC with installation cost Rs 25,000/- maximum in Pakistan. It created a sort of vomiting in me. Such schemes like inclusion of ACs are prepared with some other motives in mind but by firing the bullet in the name of Overseas Pakistanis.
8. It the Ambassador at large wishes to do something he should do only one and one thing during his tenure. The other things will be done by the next potential Envoy at large or by Special Depurator for OPs. What he can do is get the Government agree that on each Rs 100 remitted trough legal channel a Rs. 2.50 from Ministry of Foreign Affairs Community Welfare Fund and a Rs. 2.50 from OPF fund will be transferred to a special account jointly created with National Savings. These both Rs. 2.50 each are OPs own contributed money hence no burden whatsoever on the Government. All these Rs. 5/- remain in this joint account fetching compound profit thus becoming a very huge Fund at one time. When an OP returns back permanently, all his Rs 5/- inclusive of his accumulated profits be transferred to a Regulator Income Account with National Savings monthly profit of which he withdraws thus every months getting a good amount. Thus without spending a single Rupee from the national exchequer an OP will get a sort of pension, government will get benefit that principal remains with National Savings strengthening the national economy. This way every one even those having dual nationality will prefer sending more to Pakistan as these Rs. 5/- pension be a most alluring lollypop than any worthless OPF help Desk or VIP treatment at the airports which a genuine OP never wished to be a VIP. It only suits to Ministers or MPA like Abdul Ghafoor of Punjab assembly.
9. The OPF Pension Scheme is a worthless so-called pension. Take any dictionary, the word pension has been described as a regular payment which a government or an organization pays from its own pocket to a senior citizen or to an employee having long contributed lot towards national rebuilding. This has two shapes. One called pension and the other is where every month or periodically the Government or the employer deducts from ones salary, contributes at the same almost an equal amount from itself and keep such amounts saved and is paid with earned profit in one lump sum to a retired employee called Gratuity. In both these shapes the Government or the employer contributes something from its own pocket but nothing in the case of so called OPF Pension. But the OPF pension is the only pension in the world in which nothing is contributed by OPF, all money is yours and after a long time it is thrown on your face in the name of pension. When in 1995 OPF first time invented its OPF Pension I advised hundreds to avoid it. Instead of paying a Rs. 500 to so called OPF Pension, I opted Monthly Income Scheme. After 5 years I started getting Rs. 500/- monthly. Then I opened another monthly income account for my wife @ Rs. 1000 a month. What I did was I paid Rs. 500 from my own pocket and Rs. 500 which I was getting from my own completed month income, thus making it a thousand. Today I am getting Rs. 500 from my account and Rs. 1000 from my wifes account monthly eg. Rs. 1500/- monthly. Had I been fooled contributing Rs. 1500 to OPF pension in 1995 I might be getting Rs. 8 or so after 15 years. My monthly income of Rs. 1500 is 100% guaranteed whereas my joining OPF would never had given me any sound sleep. Only yesterday 29 July 2009 the most honourable Dr. Abdul Qadir Khan refreshing his memories narrated how he with the assistance a senior army officer selected the Khouta for the nuclear project. For approval and further go ahead during the meeting late Ghulam Ishaq Khan observed that this should now be given to a Committee which was consider its suitability and recommend. Late Zulfiqar Bhutto immediately turned towards Ghulam Ishaq Khan Khan Sahib, these Committees have in fact ruined the country. It is a true fact. The job which is not desired to be done be given to any Committee. Ambassador At Large, welfare community officers, special overseas Pakistanis cells are nothing but just the lip service and pure intent not to do anything.
2. The Ambassador at Large is planning establishing an Overseas Pakistanis Council. What would it do and what the earlier ones did; namely the then Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Committee formed by the then Chief Executive General Pervaiz Musharraf, the Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Council still existing. General Musharraf had at least created an on line web site through which Overseas Pakistanis complaints mostly pertaining against NADRA and Embassies were used to be listened, attended to and to a good extent resolved which the Government of the Ambassador at Large has now abolished. Today writing to the President does not even bring even an acknowledgement. The Ambassador at Large perhaps does not know that there already exists an Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Council comprising selected people from different countries most of whom were selected merely on personal likings by the Embassies and hardly out of them is of any practical worth. What has this Advisory Council till today done which the new Council will do.
3. The thoughts of the Ambassador at large are very good. He wishes to mobilize the OPs in different places to invest in Pakistan. I wish first he shifts his own business from UAE and invests in Pakistan which will definitely inject a heavy doze of very badly needed confidence amongst other OPs.
4. He has scheduled an OPs Convention likely to be in Dubai by end this year which to me is just another futile exercise on much expense to already debit ridden country.
5. Everyone who took charge as Overseas Pakistanis Minister or Managing Director OPF always raised the slogan of revamping the OPF, as has claimed the Ambassador at Large, but in practice the OPF went further down. All spent just time or the most used OPF cars because none had any real intent nor the strength or the ability to perform. The only one and a really good proficient one was seen for a year or so during Nawaz Sharif tenure. His name was Mr. Zaffarullah Khan or Mr. Mohammad Zafar something like this. He was really a real Head of this OPF. But as the fate is good men do not remain for long at a places where they are badly needed he was soon in a year or so transferred elsewhere. His quality was that any thing addressed to him, he personally read it, evaluated it, understood it and then as is required he took up the same matter on his own letter head under his own signature as if the issue was initiated by him. Unlike the ever existing practice in OPF his taken up issues did not travel down side like to a Section officer of this Ministry or to an Assistant Director that Department but to upper higher ranking. The most wonderful from him was that without any need of concerned OP reminding, he himself remembered and followed the issue. Otherwise in OPF what happens is even if you put some really good suggestion or proposal for collective interest of OPs, it will as a post office forwarded to some one with one standard sentence enclosed here with please find a complaint received from Mr... For the OPF everything coming from the OPs is always a complaint. They just work like post office, postmen and senior postmen from bottom to top. I do remember having seen a letter from OPF which the then Member Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Council showed to the community members present in the Club which read Herewith please find a complaint received from late Mr. which meant even the dead were addressing complaints to OPF from the heavy or hell.
6. The Ambassador at Large in line with useless schemes like Convention wishes to touch the OPs problems of having a house in Pakistan and for this he sees the solution to OPF and private partnership. This is purely his vision being of a businessman himself. OPF is plagued with irregularities added with almost inept staff from bottom to top. The housing is really a major problem of OPs. There is only one and the only one single satisfactory and safe solution to it. If anyone tells me to the contrary he is to fool himself not to me. The only solution is that at the higher level the House Building Finance Corporation is contacted persuading it to construct houses for OPs initially on OPF Raiwind Road Housing Scheme Lahore. It be asked to prepare two standard design plans each for 10 marla and one kanal plots. For 10 marla eg two designs 2 bedroom, one kitch etc and the other 2 bedroom one additional on upper story etc. The OPF directs all its allottees either to construct their own houses on those plots within a year or accept HBFC plan. HBFC is rich in experience by construction a very successful project for Overseas Pakistanis. It is a trustable organization. A few years back I do remember its Technical Director in Dubai stated it was ready to construct houses for OPs on easy monthly installments provided in bulk a whole project is given to it not the individual scattered houses. There can be no better, most convenient and most viable sketch for the OPs. No body can convince me contrary that OPF and private partnership can deliver anything. But I am sure OPF will not take any real interest in this for obvious reason as its policy makers would wish to go for private partnership to run the project as happened with its Beach City project in Karachi.
7. The Ambassador at Large says he himself is an Overseas Pakistani hence he understands the problems of OPs. It is wrong. Senator Tariq Azeem himself was a long stand OP and what performance he showed there should be no hope that OPs coming into power can do any collective good except for talking, conferencing and showing green green gardens. I remember I myself then was an OP when Senator Azeem Tariq a long standing Businessman abroad and an OP visited Middle East as Minister for Overseas Pakistanis. I had very long stopped attending such VIP/Ministers, reading their statements after Shaikh Rashid Ahmed became a Minister for OPs. However since Senator Tariq Azeem was an OP and there had been a belief that when OPs would come into power having seen good governance abroad they will do good for the country, I decided to attend the public community gathering he was to address. I could not believe my ears when this OP told the audience that he was preparing to include ovens, cookers, air conditions etc on incentive list of Sliver and Gold Cards. It was beyond my imagination. I came to the gathering hoping that this OP Minister will tell us that see I have abolished the very basic idea of so called God or Silver Cards because we are Pakistanis, we are to send to Pakistan for which we do not need any incentives or alluring Cards. New and new imports on free list are only to damage Pakistani industry. The other thing is that who today from Middle East or Europe takes in his baggage ACs, Refrigerators since due to their heavy weight these at the end cost so much that in that amount two ACs can be purchased in Pakistan. Just a normal window AC from middle east reaches Lahore at minimum at Rs. 40,000/- (air freight custom, transport etc) whereas with the blessing of our customs, rangers, coast guard etc ALHAMADOLLIAH every thing smuggled cheaply is available in Pakistan. A split AC with installation cost Rs 25,000/- maximum in Pakistan. It created a sort of vomiting in me. Such schemes like inclusion of ACs are prepared with some other motives in mind but by firing the bullet in the name of Overseas Pakistanis.
8. It the Ambassador at large wishes to do something he should do only one and one thing during his tenure. The other things will be done by the next potential Envoy at large or by Special Depurator for OPs. What he can do is get the Government agree that on each Rs 100 remitted trough legal channel a Rs. 2.50 from Ministry of Foreign Affairs Community Welfare Fund and a Rs. 2.50 from OPF fund will be transferred to a special account jointly created with National Savings. These both Rs. 2.50 each are OPs own contributed money hence no burden whatsoever on the Government. All these Rs. 5/- remain in this joint account fetching compound profit thus becoming a very huge Fund at one time. When an OP returns back permanently, all his Rs 5/- inclusive of his accumulated profits be transferred to a Regulator Income Account with National Savings monthly profit of which he withdraws thus every months getting a good amount. Thus without spending a single Rupee from the national exchequer an OP will get a sort of pension, government will get benefit that principal remains with National Savings strengthening the national economy. This way every one even those having dual nationality will prefer sending more to Pakistan as these Rs. 5/- pension be a most alluring lollypop than any worthless OPF help Desk or VIP treatment at the airports which a genuine OP never wished to be a VIP. It only suits to Ministers or MPA like Abdul Ghafoor of Punjab assembly.
9. The OPF Pension Scheme is a worthless so-called pension. Take any dictionary, the word pension has been described as a regular payment which a government or an organization pays from its own pocket to a senior citizen or to an employee having long contributed lot towards national rebuilding. This has two shapes. One called pension and the other is where every month or periodically the Government or the employer deducts from ones salary, contributes at the same almost an equal amount from itself and keep such amounts saved and is paid with earned profit in one lump sum to a retired employee called Gratuity. In both these shapes the Government or the employer contributes something from its own pocket but nothing in the case of so called OPF Pension. But the OPF pension is the only pension in the world in which nothing is contributed by OPF, all money is yours and after a long time it is thrown on your face in the name of pension. When in 1995 OPF first time invented its OPF Pension I advised hundreds to avoid it. Instead of paying a Rs. 500 to so called OPF Pension, I opted Monthly Income Scheme. After 5 years I started getting Rs. 500/- monthly. Then I opened another monthly income account for my wife @ Rs. 1000 a month. What I did was I paid Rs. 500 from my own pocket and Rs. 500 which I was getting from my own completed month income, thus making it a thousand. Today I am getting Rs. 500 from my account and Rs. 1000 from my wifes account monthly eg. Rs. 1500/- monthly. Had I been fooled contributing Rs. 1500 to OPF pension in 1995 I might be getting Rs. 8 or so after 15 years. My monthly income of Rs. 1500 is 100% guaranteed whereas my joining OPF would never had given me any sound sleep. Only yesterday 29 July 2009 the most honourable Dr. Abdul Qadir Khan refreshing his memories narrated how he with the assistance a senior army officer selected the Khouta for the nuclear project. For approval and further go ahead during the meeting late Ghulam Ishaq Khan observed that this should now be given to a Committee which was consider its suitability and recommend. Late Zulfiqar Bhutto immediately turned towards Ghulam Ishaq Khan Khan Sahib, these Committees have in fact ruined the country. It is a true fact. The job which is not desired to be done be given to any Committee. Ambassador At Large, welfare community officers, special overseas Pakistanis cells are nothing but just the lip service and pure intent not to do anything.
