1732012115-0%2FUntitled-design-(14)1732012115-0.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Govt to appoint focal persons for expatriates
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has decided to appoint focal persons for overseas Pakistanis in the CM's, chief secretary's and inspector general of police's offices.
It was decided during a meeting between the chief minister and Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) Managing Director Afzal Bhatti that the focal persons of the Punjab government would play an effective role for solving the problems pertaining to the expatriates.
It was agreed to take prompt measures to make the Punjab Overseas Pakistanis Commission active.
The chief minister directed all government departments and the district administrations to take steps to resolve the issues of overseas Pakistanis as soon as possible.
The MD gave a detailed briefing about matters pertaining to overseas Pakistanis belonging to Punjab, including issues related to the OPF housing societies and schools.
Afzaal Bhatti highlighted that the overseas Pakistanis had celebrated the victory in the war against India across the globe.
She stated that the winning candidate would come up to the expectations of the people of Sambrial who have reposed their trust in her leadership.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
6 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Bilawal-led Pakistani delegation ends two-day UN visit in New York
Listen to article A high-level Pakistani parliamentary delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples' Party and former foreign minister, wrapped up a two-day visit to the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The delegation conveyed Pakistan's stance on regional tensions, urging respect for international law and peaceful relations with neighbours. During the visit, the delegation met with the UN Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, members of the Security Council, ambassadors of the OIC group, media representatives, civil society, and the Pakistani diaspora. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan seeks peaceful, cooperative relations based on equality and mutual respect but will not tolerate aggression or violations of international norms. READ MORE: Pakistan downed five Indian jets 'like mosquitoes': Bilawal The delegation highlighted India's unlawful actions, including violations of the UN Charter and international humanitarian law, and condemned attacks on civilians in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). They rejected India's claims about the April 22 terrorist attack, citing a lack of evidence. Speaking at a press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, he blamed India for using the April 22 Pahalgam attack in IIOJK as a pretext for aggression. He emphasized that Pakistan has consistently condemned terrorism in all its forms and proposed a collaboration between ISI and RAW to combat terrorism. "I am completely confident that if ISI [Inter-Service Intelligence of Pakistan] and RAW [Research and Analysis Wing of India] sat down and worked together to fight these forces, we would see a significant decrease in terrorism both within India and Pakistan," he said. He described the recent ceasefire as a 'welcome first step,' but warned it was 'merely a first step.' Bilawal also highlighted the human cost of terrorism in Pakistan, stating, 'If you compare the number of victims to terrorism then far more Pakistanis are killed by terrorists than Indians.' Concern was raised over India's unilateral decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), vital for more than 240 million Pakistanis. The delegation warned that India's "weaponisation of water" breaches treaty obligations and international law. Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to fighting terrorism in all forms and condemned Indian-sponsored terrorism and transnational assassination campaigns. The delegation called for cooperation over politicisation to combat terrorism effectively. The delegation stressed Pakistan's restrained and lawful response to Indian provocations and warned against attempts to normalise arbitrary strikes in the nuclear-sensitive region, cautioning that such actions could have disastrous consequences. READ MORE: Pak delegation to expose India's propaganda They called for a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in line with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The delegation urged the international community to uphold treaty sanctity, restore the Indus Waters Treaty, and support comprehensive dialogue between India and Pakistan. Other members of the delegation included Minister for Climate Change Dr. Musadik Masood Malik; Senator Sherry Rehman, chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change; former foreign ministers Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurram Dastgir Khan; Senator Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari; Senator Bushra Anjum Butt; and former foreign secretaries Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua. Pakistan sent two delegations to different world capitals as part of Islamabad's diplomatic campaign to present its position on India's aggression following the Pahalgam attack. A nine-member delegation led by Bilawal is visiting the United States, while another team, headed by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, is currently in Moscow, where they met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday. READ MORE: Pakistan launches diplomatic offensive against India At the United Nations, the Pakistani delegation engaged with representatives from UN Security Council member states, including some of India's close allies, briefing them on the concerning security developments in South Asia after India's recent military aggression and unilateral actions. The parliamentary delegation led by Bilawal arrived in Washington on Wednesday, where they were warmly welcomed by Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh.


Business Recorder
13 hours ago
- Business Recorder
200,000 Afghans left Pakistan since deportations renewed
ISLAMABAD: More than 200,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since the government renewed a deportation drive in April, Islamabad's interior ministry told AFP. Pakistan has launched a strict campaign to evict more than 800,000 Afghans who have had their residence permits cancelled, including some who were born in Pakistan or lived there for decades. According to the ministry, more than 135,000 Afghans left Pakistan in April, while the number dropped to 67,000 in May and more than 3,000 were sent back in the first two days of June. Millions of Afghans have poured into Pakistan over the past several decades, fleeing successive wars, as well hundreds of thousands who arrived after the return of the Taliban government in 2021. A campaign to evict them began in 2023, prompting hundreds of thousands to cross the border in the span of a few days, fearing harassment or arrest. In total, more than one million Afghans have left Pakistan. The UN's International Organization for Migration on Tuesday voiced concern over a surge in Afghan families being deported from Iran, recording 15,675 crossing in May, a more than two-fold increase from the previous month. The influx across both borders threatens to strain Afghanistan's already 'fragile reception and reintegration systems', IOM said in a statement. Islamabad has labelled Afghans 'terrorists and criminals', but analysts say the expulsions are designed to pressure neighbouring Afghanistan's Taliban authorities to control militancy in the border regions. Last year Pakistan recorded the highest number of deaths from attacks in a decade. Pakistan's security forces are under enormous pressure along the border with Afghanistan, battling a growing insurgency by ethnic nationalists in Balochistan in the southwest, and the Pakistani Taliban and its affiliates in the northwest. Undocumented Afghan DPs: deportation deadline extended The government frequently accuses Afghan nationals of taking part in attacks and blames Kabul for allowing militants to take refuge on its soil, a charge Taliban leaders deny. Some Pakistanis have grown weary of hosting a large Afghan population as security and economic woes deepen, and the deportation campaign has widespread support. Pakistan is now threatening to lift the protection granted to the 1.3 million Afghans holding refugee cards issued by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees at the end of June.


Express Tribune
17 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Bilawal proposes ISI-RAW tie-up to fight terror
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addresses a media briefing at the UN Headquarters in New York, US on June 3, 2025. SCREENGRAB Listen to article Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday that "if" the premier spy agencies of both Pakistan and India "sit together" and collaborate with each other there could be a significant decline in terrorist activities in the region. Bilawal, who is leading a multi-party delegation to world capitals to present Pakistan's stance on the recent escalation with India, told a press conference in New York that the ceasefire between the two countries was a "welcome first step", yet it was merely a first step. Bilawal's press conference came just before his departure for Washington for the delegation's meeting with top US leaders and lawmakers. At the UN, he held several meetings with ambassadors from the Security Council (UNSC) members, including the US, France, and the current president of Guyana. Bilawal suggested instead of accusations, counteraccusations and finger-pointing over terrorism, the effective way would be for Pakistan and India to work together to combat this menace. "I am completely confident that if ISI [Inter-Service Intelligence of Pakistan] and RAW [Research and Analysis Wing of India] sat down and worked together to fight these forces, we would see a significant decrease in terrorism both within India and Pakistan," he said. He pointed out that Pakistan was the biggest victim of terrorism and suffered far more terrorist attacks than India. "If you compare the number of victims to terrorism then far more Pakistanis are killed by terrorists than Indians," he told the media. Bilawal condemned India's illegal strikes inside Pakistan on May 7, calling them a violation of the UN Charter and international law. He said the attacks targeted civilian infrastructure, places of worship, dams, and water and energy facilities, causing civilian casualties, including women and children. He also rejected India's "new normal" doctrine as "new abnormal" that it was trying to impose on the region. "We can't leave the fate of 1.5 or 1.7 billion people in the hands of non-state actors and terrorists, allowing them to decide on a whim that two nuclear-armed powers should go to war." He blamed India for using the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) as a pretext for aggression. He said that India rejected Pakistan's offer for investigation and instead launched strikes against Pakistan. In response, he added, Pakistan acted in self-defence and downed six Indian planes that had attacked its territory. Pakistan has consistently condemned terrorism in all its forms," he said. "Pakistan would still like to cooperate with India to combat terrorism." Bilawal credited the international communityparticularly US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio – for facilitating a ceasefire between the two countries. However, he warned that while the ceasefire is a welcome first step, the risk of full-scale conflict remained dangerously high. Urging the global community to continue pushing for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path to lasting peace, Bilawal cautioned that "the threshold for war [between Pakistan and India] has lowered, not risen" because of India's so-called new normal. "In addition to this, there is a root cause [which] in this case is the unresolved agenda of Kashmir before the UN Security Council," he said. "If we continue to ignore this issue and allow that wound to fester, there will forever be a bone of contention between India and Pakistan." He stressed the need for a mechanism where Pakistan and India could bring any complaints to a mutually agreed forum and work together to identify, track and deliver justice to terrorists. He also said that the threat to cut Pakistan's water would be seen as an act of war by Pakistan. Pakistan had sent two delegations to different world capitals as part of Islamabad's diplomatic offensive against India to apprise the world of Pakistan's stance vis-à-vis India's aggression following the Pahalgam attack. Bilawal is leading a nine-member delegation to the US while another team, led by Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Tariq Fatemi is currently touring Moscow and held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday. At the UN, the Pakistani delegation reached out to the representatives of the UNSC members, including some of the close allies of India, and briefed them on the alarming security developments in South Asia, following India's recent military aggression and unilateral actions. The meetings on Tuesday included the permanent representatives to the UN from the US, Guyana [the UNSC president for the month of June], France and officials from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). France is one of the closest allies of India and the meeting of the Pakistani delegation with the French Ambassador to the United Nations was significant keeping in view that the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) shot down French-made Rafale jets on the night of May 6 and 7. An official handout said that Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont met with the Pakistani parliamentary delegation. Bilawal apprised the French envoy of the grave consequences arising from India's baseless attribution of the Pahalgam attack to Pakistan without any credible investigation or evidence. The delegation briefed the French ambassador regarding the alarming security developments in South Asia, following India's recent military aggression and unilateral actions in violation of the international law that threatened the fragile strategic balance in the region. Bilawal condemned India's unilateral military strikes against civilians, leading to deaths and injuries and damage to civilian infrastructure in Pakistan, the arbitrary holding in abeyance of the IWT, and India's persistent belligerence. He warned against India's attempt to impose the so-called "new normal" of arbitrary strikes, saying that such conduct would have serious implications for a nuclearised region like South Asia. He said that Pakistan was committed to eliminating terrorism, including the one funded and supported from India. He underscored the imperative of a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions for durable peace and stability in South Asia. He urged France to play a role in ensuring a sustained ceasefire, revival of the IWT, and initiation of a comprehensive Pak-India dialogue. The French ambassador expressed his country's support for regional peace and stability and the need for bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan. He reiterated the importance of restraint, dialogue, and adherence to international obligations. Members of the parliamentary delegationHina Rabbani Khar, Sherry Rehman, Dr Musadik Malik, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Tehmina Janjua, Bushra Anjum Butt and Syed Faisal Subzwari – were also present on the occasion. The Pakistani delegation was scheduled to arrive in Washington later in the day, where it planned to engage with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, other senior officials, lawmakers, and think tanks till June 6. The team will also visit London and Brussels later. Meanwhile, at the beginning of his visit to the Russian Federation, SAPM Fatemi, called on Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Moscow and conveyed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's message for President Vladmir Putin. During the meeting, Fatemi reiterated Pakistani leadership's commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation with Russia across various sectors, including energy, connectivity, and trade. He also provided a detailed briefing on recent developments in South Asia. The SAPM outlined Pakistan's concerns regarding regional escalation risks. In particular, he highlighted the serious implications of India's threat to disrupt the IWT by declaring it in so-called "abeyance." Lavrov expressed satisfaction with the steady growth in bilateral cooperation, underscoring key collaborative projects such as the establishment of new Steel Mills and critical connectivity initiatives. He reaffirmed Russia's eagerness to strengthen ties with Pakistan within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), particularly in the area of counter-terrorism. Regarding Pakistan-India relations, Foreign Minister Lavrov emphasised Russia's support for the normalisation of ties between the two countries, noting its positive impact on regional stability. (With additional input from news desk)