Overseas Pakistanis to Get University Quotas, Legal Support, and Awards
— April 15, 2025
ISLAMABAD (AIA) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced a series of initiatives aimed at facilitating overseas Pakistanis, including the revival of the Green Channel and the establishment of special courts for speedy resolution of their cases.
Speaking at the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad, the prime minister said the Green Channel would become operational within the next few weeks. He also announced the setting up of special courts in the capital to expedite cases involving overseas Pakistanis. Similar courts are being established in Punjab, and other provinces will be encouraged to follow suit.
Shehbaz said Pakistani missions abroad would offer e-recording of evidence through video link, and e-filing of cases would also be enabled. He added that a legal amendment would be introduced to prevent fictitious litigation against overseas Pakistanis. Under the amendment, defendants will be allowed to defend themselves if permitted by the court.
The prime minister announced a five per cent quota for children of overseas Pakistanis in all federally chartered universities and degree-awarding institutions, along with a 15 per cent quota in medical colleges—benefitting around 3,000 students. Additionally, 5,000 children of expatriates will be offered skill development courses.
He said the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been directed to treat overseas Pakistanis as filers in all business and banking matters. The FBR has already set up dedicated offices in Balochistan and Punjab, with plans to expand to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir.
The PM announced that the upper age limit exemption for government jobs for overseas Pakistani women has been increased from five to seven years.