ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development was informed that the Overseas Pakistanis have sent Rs 18.45 billion foreign exchange during current financial year.
The committee was informed that the amount of foreign exchange was Rs 11 billion during financial year 2011.
The meeting of the Senate body was held under the chairmanship of Senator Baaz Muhammad Khan here on Thursday at the Parliament House.
Briefing the committee, Additional Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Irfan Yousaf Shami, told that there are two million Pakistanis working in Saudi Arabia while 1.1 million in UK, one million in USA and 0.3 million are in Canada.
He said that there are 8,551 Pakistanis imprisoned on different criminal charges adding that the ministry was taking measures for their early release.
He told that the overseas Pakistanis were facing problems including language, skill development and training abroad.
The secretary told that 10 operational centers of National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) were working in different foreign countries for the assistance of overseas Pakistanis.
