Pakistan to host first overseas Pakistanis convention in Islamabad
Listen to article
The Government of Pakistan, in collaboration with the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF), will host the first-ever Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad from April 13 to 15.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, the objective of the convention is to warmly welcome overseas Pakistanis back home, listen to their concerns, and incorporate their valuable suggestions into improved policymaking, Express News reported.
The government has decided that all overseas Pakistanis attending the convention will be accorded the status of state guests.
Special arrangements, including welcome banners and reception protocols, are being made at airports for their arrival.
Participants will be received with full honours and respect, and public celebrations will also be held in their honour.
Under special instructions from the Prime Minister, these arrangements reflect the government's commitment to making overseas Pakistanis feel that Pakistan is truly their home.
The convention aims to provide a shared platform where overseas Pakistanis, government officials, and national institutions can engage under one roof.
To facilitate this, various government departments are setting up help desks at the venue to provide information, guidance, and services in one place.
This initiative reflects the seriousness of the Government of Pakistan in addressing the concerns of overseas Pakistanis and offering timely solutions.
The convention will also invite the overseas community to actively contribute to Pakistan's development journey and explore improvements in existing services and policies for expatriates.
Islamabad in need of 'world-class' expo centre
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said Islamabad should have a world-class expo center where international traders could exhibit their products in a better way, according to a report on state-run PTV World.
Speaking at the inaugural session of Gujranwala expo in Islambad, the finance minister said steps are underway for economic stability and government is committed to promote export-based economic growth.
Muhammad Aurangzeb said economy will become stronger only by promoting exports.
He said the expo gave a lot of encouragements that Pakistan has such products that are internationally competitive and could become global brand as we go forward.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Govt walks a tight rope
FDI in various sectors, including power, oil and gas exploration, financial, and petroleum refinery sectors, witnessed a 6.4-fold increase, reaching $211 million in December 2023 compared to $33 million last year. photo: afp Listen to article The government will walk a tight fiscal rope in the next fiscal year, too, as it plans to unveil the second budget on Tuesday envisaging a federal budget deficit of Rs6.2 trillion or 4.8% of size of the economy. The total size of the budget is expected to be around Rs17.6 trillion, which is 7.3% less than this year's original budget due to relatively lower allocations for the interest payments in fiscal year 2025-26, according to the Finance Ministry's budget estimates. The government sources said that the proposed budget deficit is 2% of the GDP or Rs2.3 trillion less than the original estimates of this fiscal year. The deficit may still be appearing large in absolute terms. But it is, for the first time, lower than this year's gap, both in terms of size of the economy and in absolute numbers. The tight budget envisages fiscal consolidation of 2% of GDP, as the government is planning to set the budget deficit target at 4.8% of GDP, the sources said. This will be 2% of GDP or Rs2.6 trillion lower than this fiscal year's target. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will deliver his second budget speech on June 10. The expenditure path is known to be narrower and predicted. However, it seems that the government may again adopt the business as usual approach on the revenue front, which is unsustainable and puts the country's marginalized salaried class and corporate sector at risk of being insolvent. The fiscal consolidation is the need of the hour but it will drastically reduce the government's ability to spend due to no space left for any productive spending after making payments for the interest servicing and defense. However, whatever space is left is not prudently used and the sources said that the quality of spending becomes poorer with large allocations for provincial projects, discretionary spending on the schemes recommended by the Parliamentarians at the expense of space technology and atomic energy programmes. The sources said that the fiscal consolidation is again planned to be achieved by putting more burden on the people, directly as well as indirectly. The government is projecting gross federal revenues at record Rs19.4 trillion for next fiscal year, higher by Rs1.6 trillion. The gross revenues are based on the Federal Board of Revenue's tax target of Rs14.13 trillion and Rs5.2 trillion non-tax revenues. The non-tax income will mainly come from the Petroleum Levy, which the government wants to increases to nearly Rs100 per liter, and the profit by the State Bank of Pakistan. The sources said that like this fiscal year, the FBR may remain the weak area in the next fiscal year, too, despite the required growth to achieve the goal will be far lower than this year. The new tax collection target will become challenging from first day of next fiscal year because the FBR will not be able to achieve even the downward revised target of Rs12.3 trillion, said the sources. This will erode the base of new tax target. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tried everything to put the FBR house in order but all those measures backfired. The FBR's ability to predict revenue estimates is also not up to the mark and this year the World Bank experts helped in projecting numbers, said the sources. Out of the Rs14.1 trillion FBR tax collection, the provinces will get Rs8 trillion as their shares in the federal taxes under the National Finance Commission award, the sources added. This leaves the federal government with Rs11.4 trillion net revenues for next fiscal year, which will not be sufficient to meet the interest payments and inclusive all defense spending, according to the government sources. The government will borrow Rs6.2 trillion in the next fiscal year to finance the Rs17.6 trillion total federal budget. Under the IMF programme, the four provinces are also required to save Rs1.33 trillion from their revenues as cash surplus to bring down the national budget deficit to Rs4.8 trillion or 3.7% of GDP, the sources said. This is steeper fiscal consolidation and would require all the five governments to meet all their revenue and expenditures related targets. The four provinces have indicated nearly Rs2.9 trillion for their development spending in the next fiscal year. This is Rs850 billion more than what the IMF has allowed to spend to the four provinces under the national fiscal framework. Punjab has indicated Rs1.2 trillion record spending on development, followed by Rs995 billion by Sindh.
Business Recorder
6 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Pakistan condemns Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon
ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan unequivocally condemned air strikes by Israeli forces on Beirut's southern suburbs and parts of southern Lebanon on 5 June 2025, Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement. These attacks, launched on the eve of Eid al-Adha, constitute a blatant violation of international law, sovereignty of Lebanon, and the ceasefire agreement of November 2024. The spokesperson added the reckless use of force threatens civilian lives, fuels regional instability, and undermines efforts for lasting peace. Pakistan stands in solidarity with the people and the Government of Lebanon, during this difficult time. We urge the international community, particularly the United Nations and ceasefire mediators, to take immediate action to hold Israeli occupying forces accountable and prevent further escalation, he remarked. Pakistan remains firmly committed to peace, justice, and the principles of international law. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
6 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Substandard packaging: PPWSMA calls on govt to curb Atta wastage
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Polypropylene Woven Sack Manufacturers Association (PPWSMA) has appealed to the Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, to take urgent action to prevent the wastage of wheat flour (Atta) caused by the use of substandard packaging. In a letter addressed to the Minister, PPWSMA Chairman Iskandar Khan highlighted that, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, over 11 million Pakistanis face acute food insecurity. 'Wheat flour (Atta), as it is commonly known, is the staple food of our nation. For a vast majority of our people, a simple Roti with onions or chilies is often their only meal,' Khan wrote. 'To preserve this essential staple in the daily diet of the common man, it must be packed and distributed in compliant sacks and bags as per the official Gazette notification.' He emphasized that significant losses are occurring due to dusting and spillage from poor-quality, non-food grade sacks—resulting in a cumulative wastage valued at approximately Rs 594 billion. The Minister was reminded of Gazette Notification S.R.O. 46(KE)/2017, issued on May 19, 2017, which mandates the use of PSQCA-licensed, environment-friendly, recyclable, and food-grade polypropylene sacks to reduce losses during handling and transit. According to PPWSMA, failure to implement this notification has led to continuous flour wastage since 2017. Khan argued that the cost difference between non-food grade and food-grade sacks is minimal compared to the potential savings. For example, using compliant bags could save Rs 75 per 20kg sack and Rs 37.50 per 10kg sack—totaling an estimated annual savings of Rs 67.2 billion. 'We seek your assistance in ensuring the enforcement of the Gazette notification to stop this massive wastage of Atta, which directly contributes to food insecurity across the country,' Khan concluded. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
