ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reviewed a series of initiatives aimed at making embassy services more accessible and efficient for overseas Pakistanis, focusing on the digitization of services, faster document verification and stronger complaint mechanisms.
Officials from various ministries briefed the meeting on measures introduced to cut bureaucratic hurdles, streamline procedures and ease difficulties faced by Pakistanis seeking consular services at the country’s missions abroad.
New Systems Aim to Speed Up Services
The meeting was told that a QR code-based system had already been introduced to simplify procedures related to powers of attorney, property transactions and document verification for expatriates.
Officials said document attestation services had also been launched at the Easy Service Centre in Islamabad, while a courier-based attestation facility had been introduced to provide greater convenience to citizens.
The document verification system has been linked with databases of the Higher Education Commission, the Inter Boards Coordination Commission, the National Database and Registration Authority, and the National Police Bureau to help expedite the process.
The meeting was further informed that an evening shift had recently been introduced at the Foreign Ministry’s office in Islamabad to facilitate citizens. Officials added that under the apostille system, the attestation procedure had also been converted into a one-stop service facility.
Officials said work was progressing rapidly to fully digitize the system in its next phase, with a mobile application being developed in collaboration with the National Information Technology Board. The application would enable digital verification of documents, including birth and death certificates, marriage registration certificates and family registration certificates.
They said the measures were being implemented under the prime minister’s directives to improve service delivery for overseas Pakistanis at Pakistan’s missions worldwide.
Addressing the meeting, Sharif directed that a special awareness campaign be launched among overseas Pakistanis about the QR code-based complaint registration system so more people could benefit from the facility and register their grievances.
“Overseas Pakistanis are our valuable asset, and providing them with all possible facilities is the government’s top priority,” he said.
Officials from the Foreign Ministry, Pakistan’s ambassadors in several countries, the Interior Ministry, the Federal Investigation Agency, the Ministry of Information Technology and other departments attended the meeting.
