Islamabad (HRNW)- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that providing every possible facility to overseas Pakistanis remains one of the government’s top priorities and directed authorities to further improve digital services and consular facilities for Pakistanis living abroad.
During a meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefed the Prime Minister on measures to enhance services at Pakistani embassies, digitize the document verification process, simplify the complaint mechanism, and introduce digital systems for payments and various official services from overseas.
The meeting was attended by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistani ambassadors serving in different countries, the Ministry of Interior, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Ministry of Information Technology, and other senior government officials.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that overseas Pakistanis are a valuable national asset and deserve modern, efficient, and accessible government services. He welcomed the introduction of QR code-based document verification, along with a digital system for power of attorney and property purchase and sale procedures to facilitate Pakistanis living abroad.
The Prime Minister also appreciated the introduction of a QR code-based complaint registration system and directed that QR codes be prominently displayed at Pakistani embassies worldwide. He further instructed the authorities to launch a comprehensive awareness campaign so that more overseas Pakistanis can benefit from the new digital complaint system.
Officials informed the meeting that an evening shift has recently been introduced at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, while document verification services are now also available at the Asan Khidmat Markaz in the capital. The verification process has been linked with the databases of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Inter Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC), NADRA, and the National Police Bureau, significantly improving processing speed.
The meeting was further informed that the verification process has now been converted into a single-step system, while work is underway to fully digitize the service through a mobile application being developed in collaboration with the National Information Technology Board (NITB). The application will enable digital verification of documents, including birth and death certificates, marriage registration certificates, and family registration certificates.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Ministers Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State Aun Chaudhry, Special Assistant Tariq Bajwa, and other senior officials.
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