Daily Times

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that expatriate Pakistanis are the ambassadors of the country and the Punjab government has formed a constitutional institution of the Overseas Pakistanis Commission to resolve their problems on an urgent basis.

He said this institution was discharging its duty to protect the hard-earned income of overseas Pakistanis and was guaranteeing the protection of property of overseas Pakistanis, besides playing an effective role in resolving their problems. He said that through this institution, overseas Pakistanis had been given their rights and thousands of overseas Pakistanis had benefitted from the commission. “Overseas Pakistanis have very important role in the economy of the country, and we will make Pakistan a great country through unity and harmony,” he said.

The chief minister expressed these views while talking to a delegation of overseas Pakistan in London today. He said properties or lands owned by overseas Pakistanis were now secure because of the presence of the Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab. “I have personally monitored the performance of the commission and I can say with certainty that it is praiseworthy,” he said.

He said the commission had set a great example of teamwork and it had served overseas Pakistan ignoring barriers of fear and lust. He said overseas Pakistanis had proved their talent in various fields of life including education, sports, and technology. He said Pakistan would progress when all citizens, inside or outside the country, work together with determination and coordination. He said Pakistan was facing numerous problems and our collective efforts and vision could steer the country out of these problems and put it on the path to progress. “This is going to be a difficult task but it is certainly not impossible. If the whole nation resolves to change the fate of the country and does hard work with purity and honesty then nothing can stop it from achieving this target,” he said.

“We should face all our challenges like a united nation. When all segments of the society are united then the fate of the nation can change for better very soon. I am confident that Pakistan will become a great country soon despite all challenges and problems,” he said.

He said the efforts of the PML-N government to eliminate terrorism and end energy crisis had produced positive results, adding great successes had been achieved in the war against terrorism with the coordination of civil and military leadership. He said no effort was made in the tenure of former rulers to end energy crisis and it was a criminal negligence. He added that the PML-N government had focused on the energy crisis and its efforts had remained fruitful. “Load shedding has been controlled with the efforts of the government. PML-N government has introduced the culture of merit, transparency, and speedy completion of development projects. Our projects can be assessed by anyone for transparency, honesty and hard work,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, December 17^th 2017.