GUJRAT, Dec 15: The district police have established a special desk which will solve the problem of expatriates of Gujrat, who have settled in various parts of the globe.
The overseas police help desk has started functioning in liaison with international agencies, Dawn’s learnt.
Nearly 300,000 people from Gujrat have settle in different parts of the world, including the Middle East, Scandinavia, Europe, North America and Far East Asia. They are working in various capacities and the main source of foreign capital for the national exchequer.
There has been a long-standing demand of the expatriates for security and resolution of host of other problems like homicide, property disputes, family feuds, kidnapping and land grab ( while spending holidays in their native areas or living abroad).
The Overseas Police Help Desk has been established in a newly-built building in the compound of the district police officer (DPO) office.
Officials say the expatriates have financed the project including construction of the building, furnishing and equipment. It cost nearly Rs600,000.
Younis Saqi, who runs an online newspaper for the expatriates, told Dawn that most expatriates did not have good connections or any kind of influence in their native areas and they fell an easy prey to the mess created by their kin and friends.
“But none of the local authorities has ever properly takes care of them and their cases linger on in courts, police stations and revenue department,” said Mr Saqi.
Shakeel Zaka, a member of provincial assembly in Italy, on whose suggestion the OPHD has been established, said the desk would instill a sense of security among the foreign settled Pakistanis from Gujrat besides addressing their problems.
He said the contact numbers and email addresses of the help desk were being published through the websites of Gujrat-based news papers and various organization of the overseas Pakistanis across the globe so that the people did not feel any hesitation in contacting the police help desk.
DPO Rana Shahid Pervaiz claimed that the help desk was the first project of its kind in the country, established by the police in collaboration with the overseas Pakistanis.
He said an official of inspector rank would lead the staff of the desk and a representative of the overseas Pakistanis would also permanently remain in the office as a coordinator.
He said the held desk would also be connected with the ministries of foreign affairs and interior besides the police attaches deputed at the various diplomatic missions of Pakistan so that the relevant issues could be resoled through proper channel.
The OPHD, in his views, would be a beneficial instrument in tracing and nabbing the fugitives wanted by the Gujrat police but had fled out of the country.
(Daily Dawn)
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