Senate body asks OPF to include Islamiat as compulsory subject

ISLAMABAD - Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development has recommended that the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) must include Islamic subject as compulsory in the syllabus of OPF educational institutions.

The committee meeting was held here on Thursday under the Chairmanship of Hilal ur Rehman and attended by Syed Muhammad Sabir Shah, Movi Faiz Muhammad, Nighat Mirza, Shaheen Khalid Butt, Najma Hameed, Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasar, Syed Muhammad Ali Shah Jamot, Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Muhammad Ayub and officials of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.

The committee said that it would be good for the children of overseas Pakistanis to easily get Islamic education under one roof without any separate Islamic institution.

Syed Sabir Ali Shah and Chaudhry Sarwar endorsed that it was the need of hour to promote Islamic education at all the educational institutions to eliminate extremism and sectarianism from the society.

Chairman Committee Senator Hilal ur Rehman constituted a sub-committee to seek final decision about devolution of the two departments as apex court has already given the time to settle this national issue.

Mover Senator Gianchand, Sussi Palijo, Khalid Butt and Syed Muhammad Ali Jamot will be the members of the committee.

The secretary said a drive has been launched that all the federal employees should purchase the air traveling ticket from the office of Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) to promote and support the government department.

The secretary, briefing on overall working and performance of the ministry and its attached departments /organizations, said that from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2018 Rs 2.7 billion were distributed as a marriage grant, Rs 3.6 distributed as death grant, Rs 4.6 billion were distributed as educational expenses while 25 development schemes were launched at a cost of Rs 11.052 billion and 16 projects were ongoing at a cost of Rs 22.402.

Chairman EOBI Khaqan said that over two million workers were newly registered, 0.4 million workers were getting pension and 7.7 million workers were registered across the country.

OPF Managing Director Dr Aamir Sheikh said that overseas Pakistanis could get various benefits with the registered OPF cards costing Rs 2000.