Islamabad
The Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, chaired by Syed Rafiullah, held a meeting in the Constitution Room, Parliament House, to review implementation of previous directives and receive updates from the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the Ministry of Interior.
The Committee welcomed the resolution of 2,416 pending pension claims by EOBI but instructed the Board to finalise the remaining 745 cases before the next sitting and submit a full claims register. Chair Syed Rafiullah stressed, “Progress on paper must translate into payments in hand — pensioners must not be left waiting.”
The Committee also ordered the immediate conclusion of the EOBI Chairman’s appointment process, or an explanation from the Establishment Division if not completed. A Sub-Committee was constituted to examine EOBI’s assets, investments, and property portfolio, chaired by Dr. Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto and including Mr. Farhan Chishti, Mr. Muhammad Ilyas Choudhary, and Mr. Fateh Ullah. Other directives included addressing alleged irregular utilisation of workers’ contributions by a former EOBI Chairman, involving approximately Rs. 2.4 million reportedly used for club memberships. The Committee instructed urgent pursuit of recovery and accountability. It also sought a five-year consolidated status report on institutional reforms, an actuarial note on extending coverage to informal workers (notably fishermen), and financial reconciliation of recoveries from former officials.
On trafficking and migration controls, the FIA briefed the Committee on illegal migration routes to Cambodia and related trafficking networks. The Committee noted arrests and prosecutions but expressed concern at gaps in information from overseas missions. The FIA was directed, in coordination with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior, to submit a consolidated, evidence-based dossier on Cambodia cases, revised off-loading rules, and the new risk-analysis protocol to identify high-risk passengers.
