PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday unanimously legislated to establish a commission to address complaints of overseas Pakistanis from the province against government agencies.

The Overseas Pakistanis from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission Bill, 2024, was tabled by law minister Aftab Alam in the session, which was chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati.

The upcoming Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Overseas Pakistanis Commission will “receive and redress the grievances of overseas relating to government agencies, refer complaints and suggestions of such overseas to offices concerned and for matter connected therewith or ancillary thereto,” reads the bill.

It defines the government agency as a department, attached department, special institution of government, a local government, and a body corporate owned and controlled by government autonomous bodies or semi autonomous bodies.

Section 3(1) of the bill read, “As soon as may be, after the commencement of this act, the government shall establish a commission to be known as KP overseas Pakistani Commission.”

According to it, the commission will consist of the chief minister as its chairman and the inter-provincial coordination minister, special assistant to the CM, or adviser to the CM as vice-chairman.

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Under the legislation, other members of the commission will be the chief secretary, additional chief secretaries of the planning and development and home and tribal affairs departments, provincial police officer, senior member board of revenue, advocate general, secretaries of the industries, labour departments, chief executive officers KP Board of investment and two people with knowledge and understanding of the expatriates’ issues to be nominated by the chief minister, and the commissioner as the member-cum-secretary.

The approved law empowers the commission to “review annual reports to be submitted by the commissioner, review performance of the office of the commissioner and pass appropriate orders, resolve matters relating to conflict, if any, between the office of the commissioner and a government agency.”

Section 6 of the bill says the commissioner will transmit a complaint received from an overseas Pakistani to a government agency or district committee for redressal, make recommendations for policy changes or improvements in the system to the commission and authorised to refer any complaint of any overseas to the provincial ombudsman for further necessary action in accordance with law to government agency.

The law has also empowered the commissioner to recommend disciplinary action against a government servant for failure in relation to protection of rights of an overseas Pakistani and for delay beyond third days in submission of appropriate response.

“A senior officer from government agencies will be nominated as the focal person to liaise with the office of the commissioner for monitoring and disposal of matters relating to overseas Pakistanis.”

The law also reads that there will be district committee in each district, consisting of deputy commissioner as the chairperson and district police officer and two non-official members, suitable for working with district committee to be nominated by the commissioner for a term of three years pro bono, as members, and the additional deputy commissioner as the secretary-cum-member.

After enactment, the law will be applicable on any person of Pakistani origin and domicile holder of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who is either permanently or temporarily settled outside Pakistan for employment, or for carrying on a business or vacation, or for any other purpose with intention to stay outside Pakistan for an unspecified period.

Meanwhile, the house continued for the third day the discussion on the Nov 26 firing on PTI protesters in Islamabad, which “killed 12 protesters and injured hundreds.”

The chair later adjourned the session until Thursday.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2024