NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Consulate General in New York has digitalized its operations and is delivering a range of services to overseas Pakistanis that do not require them to visit its offices, a senior Pakistani diplomat has said.
Consul General Ayesha Ali told a press conference on Friday that overseas Pakistanis can now obtain online Power of Attorney, Passport, Visa, and NICOP (National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis) from the comfort of their homes. They can also access the Punjab record system and operate Roshan Digital Accounts, as well as make use of the portals of the prime minister and the foreign minister to enter their comments or raise their problems.
Another way to keep the expatriates informed of developments or to resolve their problems was “khuli katcheries” that the consul general said she has been holding with great success. While the coronavirus lockdowns adversely affected countries around the world, Ayesha Ali said the situation helped accelerate the digitalization process so as to maintain critical service remotely. She said that bolstering of facilities for the overseas Pakistanis is in line with the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan who regards them as the country’s “biggest asset”.
