ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday launched the ‘FM Portal’ for overseas Pakistanis living in 187 countries as a platform providing them quick solutions to their problems.
Addressing the launching ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FM Qureshi urged Pakistan’s ambassadors deputed in different countries to connect with the Pakistanis of their assignment and address their problems in a prompt way.
“Ambassadors have a responsibility to lobby for the country. You can find many skilled, well-connected and influential people. They have their own professional expertise. Why don’t we use them to lobby for Pakistan,” the minister added.
Qureshi advised the embassies to regain the “lost touch” with overseas Pakistanis, especially the younger generation. “We have to effectively utilise this excellent diaspora to improve Pakistan’s image and achieve foreign policy objectives,” he added.
He further said he knew about limited resources, adding that “we can still improve our access and outreach through technology”. Qureshi said around nine million Pakistanis were based abroad, noting that “they remit money to the country more than that of our exports.”
“We need to review our approach and behaviour in dealing with our Pakistanis abroad,” he told the gathering. He said millions of overseas Pakistanis could be facilitated “if we change our mindset”.
Qureshi reiterated that overseas nationals were the “best assets” of the country. He said it was among the government’s top priorities to gain access to all Pakistanis, including successful businessmen, bankers, lawyers who were living abroad.
‘FM Portal’
The portal has been launched in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision and the Foreign Minister’s ‘Digital Diplomacy Agenda’ and ‘Public Diplomacy Initiative’.
The mobile application has been developed by the National Information Technology Board with the help of the Prime Minister’s Performance Delivery Unit.
It will provide services in the standard procedure for document verification, the launch of QR code, and digital system to reduce the chances of counterfeiting and verification of documents through courier services within Pakistan.
It will also help in online verification of power of attorney for overseas Pakistanis through missions. Under the initiative, the setting up of NADRA counters has been planned at 16 missions abroad for issuance of succession certificates and administrative letters to overseas Pakistanis.
The Foreign Office is also consulting with the police departments of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan to digitize the issuance of police character certificates according to the Punjab and ICT police.
In addition, so far 14 missions have been given access to digital records of ‘mutation’ and ‘registration’ documents of the Punjab Land Record System. Under the FM’s digital diplomacy agenda, the foreign minister had launched the “FM Direct App” last year.
