.
ISLAMABAD:
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis has expressed concern over persistent consular and administrative deficiencies in Pakistani missions across Europe, calling for a swift improvement in welfare facilitation, verification systems and passport-related services.
Meeting under the chairmanship of Syed Rafiullah, the committee reviewed country-wise performance reports of Community Welfare Attachés (CWAs) working under the Ministry of External Affairs.
During the discussions, members noted recurring operational problems in the Pakistani missions in Italy, Spain and Greece, including cases of loss of passports, delays in verification and limited outreach in prison welfare services.
In Italy, officials reported a large Pakistani community and progress following a 2025 bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU), which included the allocation of 3,500 jobs, 1,500 of which were non-seasonal.
However, the committee was informed that there are still challenges with pending work visas, repeated complaints of lost passports and backlogs in some provinces, especially where online verification of national status is not fully integrated.
The Spanish mission briefed the committee on efforts to legalize documentation for Pakistani residents following a long vacancy in the post of welfare assistant. Authorities said they aim to legalize about 20,000 applicants out of nearly 140,000 Pakistanis living in Spain.
The committee members highlighted procedural hurdles, particularly delays in apostille certification, difficulties in obtaining verification from the National Police Bureau (NPB) and recurrent loss of passports.
