Overseas Pakistanis are asset for country: Altaf
10 October, 2012
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain has said that the overseas Pakistanis are an asset for the country, hence their patriotism should not be called into question. He appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, other honourable judges of the Supreme Court and people at the helm of affairs to reconsider the issue of the dual nationality. He said this while talking to the members of the Coordination Committee at the International Secretariat of the MQM in London on Tuesday. Hussain said that the overseas Pakistanis had always helped the country in difficult times, particularly their services at the time of natural disasters in the country were highly praiseworthy. He said that Pakistanis living in foreign countries, whether they lived in USA, UK, France or any other country, were the ambassadors of Pakistan, hence their loyalty to Pakistan should not be called into question. They should not be treated in a way to make them believe that they were second-class citizens of Pakistan. Hussain said that it was in the larger interest of the nation not to consider overseas Pakistanis as disloyal. The issue of the dual nationality should be considered with sympathy, and they should be allowed to participate in elections and exercise their right to vote. He appealed to judges, lawyers, intellectuals, columnists, and people belonging to different spheres of life to play their role in restoring the rights of the overseas Pakistanis. He said that the enthusiasm with which the people of Karachi took part in the walk and demolished the differences of the rich and poor had few examples. End.
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