DOHA: The Pakistan Mission in Qatar is taking up the Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) issue with the Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis, according to Dr M Hashim Popalzai community Welfare Attach.
"We are writing to Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis in our quarterly report about the difficulties being faced by the expat Pakistanis in Qatar in getting PCC from their home districts with a view to find a practical solution acceptable to the Qatari authorities," he told The Peninsula yesterday.
Popalzai said the mission learnt about the requirement of Qatari authorities for the PCC issued by the individual's home districts when lately a number of Pak expats contacted the mission to help them.
He said he met with the Director of Criminal Evidence and Investigation Department (CEID) and explained to him the difficulties in getting the PCC from Pakistan, especially for those who had been away from the country for a long time. Popalzai said he suggested to the authorities concerned to accept provisional certificates issued by the mission, based on the Nadra (National Database and Registration Authority) records, until original PCCs were obtained from Pakistan. But, he said, he was told that it was not acceptable to the authorities here and the rule was applicable to all nationalities.
Popalzai said expat Pakistanis, especially those who had been living in the country for longer period, were facing serious difficulties as a result of this requirement by the Qatari authorities. He said the mission has yet to receive copy of the new rules although it has been learnt that Qatari authorities have sent it to all foreign missions in the country.
He noted that even those Pakistanis who got a PCC from their districts were facing problems due to ignorance of the procedures involved in getting it attested by the mission. He said the PCC has to be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan before presenting it to the mission. Popalzai said the local authorities here do not accept the PCC not vetted by the mission.
Popalzai said he had earlier written to Aslam Sanjrani, Secretary at Overseas Pakistanis Division at the Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis, about the issue. He said the Community Welfare Department at the mission in its quarterly report will seek ministry's assistance in this regard.
By L N Mallick
© The Peninsula 2006
