Observer Report
Islamabad
President Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday slammed the federal government for its policies during the coronavirus pandemic and demanded that the problems of overseas Pakistanis be resolved immediately.
Rehman, addressing a press conference here, said: “Whomever takes up the mantle of the prime minister is tasked with the responsibility of representing the entire country. The federal government has its own stance and the provinces their own.
“What message are the people getting from the chaotic manner in which the country is being managed by the state elements?”
He said that looking at the neighbouring countries, it is important that Pakistan form a national consensus. “Those who cannot even manage the country’s affairs, how could they form a national consensus?” he asked.
Highlighting the plight of overseas Pakistanis, he said that they were in dire need of the government’s assistance. “When a person dies abroad, no one helps them in transporting the dead bodies to the hospitals.”
“If they [overseas Pakistanis] want to bring back the dead bodies […] They receive no assistance from the government and this act is condemnable,” he said.
The consulates are not ready to contact the Pakistanis living abroad, he claimed. “People will knock on the door of their consulates; where else will they go? But the consulates have closed their doors to the people and have failed to provide relief to overseas Pakistanis.”
