Islamabad, February 25, 2026: The Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development on Wednesday reviewed the country-wise performance of Community Welfare Attachés (CWAs) in Europe, raising concerns over recurring operational shortcomings and directing urgent remedial measures.
The meeting, chaired by Syed Rafiullah, was held at the Parliament House. The Committee examined mission reports from CWAs in Italy, Spain and Greece, and reviewed compliance with its earlier directives.
Members noted common challenges across missions, including repeated cases of passport loss, inconsistent character-verification practices among provinces, delays in apostille processing and limited capacity for regular prison outreach. The Chair stressed that facilitation of overseas Pakistanis must be supported by transparent, accountable procedures and measurable outcomes.
Regarding Italy, the Committee was informed of a sizeable Pakistani community and progress on a bilateral memorandum of understanding signed in 2025, under which 3,500 labour slots — including 1,500 non-seasonal positions — were allocated. However, issues persist, including pending work visas, multiple passport loss cases and verification backlogs, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the national status-verification system is yet to go fully online.
The CWA for Spain briefed the Committee on efforts to regularise applicants following a prolonged vacancy at the station. The mission aims to regularise up to 20,000 individuals from an estimated Pakistani population of 140,000. Members were told that apostille delays, difficulties in obtaining National Police Bureau certificates and recurring passport losses continue to hinder progress. The Committee welcomed a plan by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to introduce a one-window apostille operation in coordination with the National Police Bureau, and called for an expedited timeline. Faster resolution of repatriation and death-case services was also urged.
On Greece, the Committee noted a documented Pakistani community of about 51,000 people. The mission reported employer interest in agriculture, construction and tourism, as well as a nursing recruitment initiative from an Athens-based medical group. Members highlighted difficulties in ensuring minimum-wage protections for undocumented workers and sought a detailed report from the ministry on staffing issues at the Greece station.
The Committee approved two Public Sector Development Programme initiatives proposed by the ministry: the establishment of a Labour Market Research Cell to provide timely sectoral intelligence, and a capacity-building programme on Occupational Safety and Health to enhance employer compliance and worker protection.
Additionally, the Committee sought a list of CWA officers serving beyond their authorised tenure and directed the ministry to regularise extensions under established rules. The CWA in Spain was also asked to share details of 30–40 cases involving repeated passport loss and to pursue remedial action with the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports.
The meeting was attended by several MNAs, including Dr Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto, Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Erum Hamid, Mah Jabeen Khan Abbasi, Saeeda Jamshid, Farhan Chishti, Mian Khan Bugti, Fatehullah Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Behan, Nasir Iqbal Bosal and Muhammad Ilyas Choudhry, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning.
