JEDDAH, 27 October 2007 — The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) held a reception here to honor Imtiaz Ahmad, chief editor of “Pride of Pakistan,” a London-based website that highlights issues of interest to Pakistan and overseas Pakistanis.
Imtiaz spoke about Kashmir and stranded Pakistanis, which he described as core issues. The website has been highlighting the plight of stranded Pakistanis languishing in squalid camps across Bangladesh.
Imtiaz said overseas Pakistanis should work to bolster the image of the country and raise issues that affect them and their compatriots.
“This will help the government of Pakistan to solve the issues in a better way,” he said.
Imtiaz said new generation of Pakistanis living abroad should be informed about their country and its ideology so that they remain attached to Pakistan. He said Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia and Britain could jointly work for the development of their country.
Maqboolur Rahman Abbasi of Pakistan Journalists Forum said, “We should play our role in national development.”
He criticized the amnesty announced by Islamabad for some politicians saying it would encourage corruption among politicians and eventually affect the country.
Abbasi urged President Pervez Musharraf to restart the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis taking into account the PRC proposal that envisages issuance of passports to the breadwinners of the stranded Pakistani families.
PRC Convener Syed Ehsanul Haque thanked Imtiaz for highlighting the issue of stranded Pakistanis on his website. The function was conducted by PRC Secretary-General Naseem Sehar.
