Shazia Anwer Cheema
Overseas Pakistanis like me sitting abroad always wish to hear positive news about their motherland. Thank God over the last two years, news has been coming up that we Pakistanis are not isolated, not forgotten, not thrown, and not condemned. We, overseas Pakistani, are told, “You are the pride of your country”. The majority of us already believe it, but now the state is considering us an integral part of its pride. Thank you so much, and this factor will surely raise our heads confidently.
Being pragmatic about the future of my country, I need to remind myself that the Overseas Convention 2025 is just a step towards “a long walk ahead” that requires a long period of personal growth and development, where individuals as well as states face various obstacles and learn valuable lessons, it symbolizes the need for resilience and positivity when facing difficult situations and the continuety in state policies towards what it has promised in the Convention.
I was watching Overseas Convention 2025 on screen and the words articulated by Chief of Pakistan Army: “You should always hold your head high with pride, because you do not belong to any ordinary country, but you are the representative of a great and powerful country” brought a sense of pride but with certain responsibilities. Taking advantage of his concern with pride of overseas Pakistani, I wish to comment that Pakistan must not have forgotten its students getting higher education from foreign best of the best universities because they are future of the country but they have to do odd jobs to continue their expensive studies because of almost no financial support is being provided to them. When you are doing odd jobs while studying, your confidence level sometimes goes down when you compare yourself with students of a neighboring country that looks after their students in every sphere of their lives, and their embassies provide job placement services to their students.
Since I have been studying in European universities since 2013, I understand how much a country can do for its students who are also overseas Pakistanis and real ambassadors of their country because their next destinations after completing higher education can be global platforms such as UN, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and European Union projects. I prefer to cite another reference from the speech of the Chief of Pakistan Army, Gen Asim Munir, who said that Pakistan’s journey of development continues; the question is not when Pakistan has to develop, but the real question is how fast Pakistan has to develop. His message shows his pragmatism that is certainly lacking among our youth, and his (Gen Asim Munir’s) constant involvement in SIFC, Green Pakistan initiative, and now in boosting the morale of overseas Pakistani is an important factor that must be appreciated and shared domestically as well as globally. I consider it a strong message of solidarity, sovereignty, and national narrative. However, this message needs constant follow-up, tangible actions of the government of Pakistan, and a behavioral change among the bureaucracy to ease overseas Pakistanis who are sending remittances worth more than $30 billion annually. This figure can be multiplied over the years, provided the government of Pakistan gives attention to Pakistani students abroad, because this educated cadre can earn much better than our unskilled and less educated cadre.
Students coming from neighboring countries usually finish their Ph.D. studies in four to five years because they are economically covered and do not waste time earning to continue their studies, while our students usually take six to seven years and sometimes leave their studies unfinished due to economic hardship. To improve the economic conditions of themselves and their families, overseas Pakistanis have been supporting their studies, families, and also increasing the reserves of the national treasury. They just need respect and moral support from their embassies and legal support for their parents and families living in Pakistan, if any legal matter arises. Millions, rather billions of rupees of overseas Pakistan had been swindled in the last 10 years by the real estate mafia, but the government has yet to fix this grave issue. The unwavering love for the homeland for these overseas Pakistanis is that despite all the negative realities and propaganda against Pakistan, they love their country and support it financially.
There is no doubt that the Overseas Pakistanis Convention 2025 was a history-making and first-of-its-kind national gathering in which overseas Pakistanis from 85 countries participated. This was the first time that a government-level convention was held under the national flag, in which the participants were invited as “official guests”. This convention aimed to facilitate overseas Pakistanis and make their voices heard by the government and military leadership.
In his address, General Asim Munir exposed the negative propaganda being spread on social media regarding Balochistan and assured the participants that such campaigns would be countered at all levels. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also gave a message of standing united against the anti-Pakistan narrative, to which the participants were seen standing up from their seats and pledging.
There is no doubt that when political polarization increases in Pakistan, it also affects overseas Pakistanis. The Prime Minister and the Army Chief gave a clear message to overseas Pakistanis during the convention that they are the pride of the nation and have the right to discuss political issues, but the national interest of Pakistan should be their priority. It is a fact that overseas Pakistanis are not only emotionally attached to the homeland, but their contribution in the field of education is also valuable, as many educational institutions are running with their financial support.
If this convention of overseas Pakistanis is to be called a historic success, it will not be an exaggeration where civilian and military leadership were present together, and Army Chief General Asim Munir participated unusually in a public setting and the convention has also shattered the impression of a certain political party that overseas Pakistanis only listen to and act on its words.
Everyone knows that some fugitives sitting abroad try to present Pakistan as a failed state, but overseas Pakistanis themselves came to Pakistan and dispelled this impression. The unanimous statements of the military and political leadership not only clarified Pakistan’s stance on terrorism and sovereignty but also sent a strong message to the world.
To my understanding, the outcome of the Convention includes:
The loud message of Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir to boost the morale of Overseas Pakistanis dispelled the misconceptions about investment; we will remove all obstacles together; as long as the Pakistani people stand with their forces, there is no threat to the country’s security.
The Prime Minister’s speech was full of promises, such as announcements to resolve the problems of overseas Pakistanis, the establishment of special courts being at the top, providing quota to children of overseas Pakistani in medical colleges, government jobs, providing legal facilities, e-filing and e-recording facilities, and filer status in the FBR. If these promises are realized, then it will help to establish a broad base level of confidence between overseas Pakistanis and the state of Pakistan.
Shazia Anwer Cheema is an author, geopolitical analyst, writer, and educator with 10-plus years of international experience in research, teaching, and strategic analysis. Expert in media, linguistics, and cognitive semiotics, with a strong focus on political discourse, global narratives, and strategic communication.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article/Opinion/Comment are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk (DND). Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk.
