Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that the government was committed to providing facilities and incentives to overseas Pakistanis and their families as recognition for their immense contribution to the country’s development.

Terming the overseas Pakistanis an invaluable asset, Khan said the remittances were playing a key role in stabilising the economy. Chairing a meeting on the matter, the PM stressed that more needed to be done in the way of incentives for those Pakistanis living abroad.

He directed the development of a comprehensive strategy focusing on foreign exchange and other economic imperatives geared towards stability and economic growth, while calling on the relevant ministries to set targets in this regard.

Also discussed in the meeting: the success of Roshan Digital Account; increase in domestic exports, especially from the Information Technology sector; promotion of foreign investment; and bilateral agreements.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) representative informed the meeting that the government’s policy of providing incentives to overseas Pakistanis was showing positive results. The meeting was also told that the Roshan Digital Account had received $1.561 billion in just 10 months.

Meanwhile, remittances had been steadily increasing since FY 2018, despite the global pandemic, which reflected the confidence of overseas Pakistanis in the PM’s policies. Also, the National Remittance Loyalty Programme was scheduled to be launched soon to facilitate the Pakistani community abroad. A mobile application would also be introduced and more concessions would be extended to Pakistanis living.