ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan has assured that all the stranded Pakistanis in Europe and the Middle East will be brought back to the Country by July 20, 2021.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Friday, the minister said that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has operated special flights to bring Overseas Pakistanis to the Country from the Middle Eastern Region.
By now, 54,116 stranded Pakistanis have been brought back to the Country in a dignified manner, he said.
The minister said that those in Europe and the United Kingdom are also being transported to the Country through chartered flights.
Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that Overseas Pakistanis are our precious asset and they are contributing immensely to the Country’s economy. He said their remittances reached US$ 29 billion during the last fiscal year.
Responding to a calling attention notice, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan said that several projects have been initiated in different cities under the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme to provide low-cost houses to the common man.
The adviser said that the construction of 45,000 housing units is underway and work on them will be completed in 18 months’ time.
Babar Awan said that loans on low-interest rates are also being provided to the people to construct houses. He said that the banks have so far received 33,506 loan applications amounting to Rs 110 billion. He said that loans worth Rs 35 billion have been approved.
