Govt ends NICOP requirement for visiting expatriates

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday decided to abolish the condition of carrying National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) for expatriates visiting the country.

According to the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, the decision was taken after the recommendation of the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari. He said that the recommendation was approved by Prime Minister Imran Khan. “Now the overseas Pakistani can travel to Pakistan without visa,” he added.

“The ministry takes lead in initiating and implementing prime minister’s 100-day reformative agenda to ensure quick redressal of issues pertaining to expatriates and their children by achieving almost all set targets,” said Bukhari.
Earlier, the government decided to undertake a couple of new initiatives to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis. The PM announced that the government would soon unveil a special incentives package aimed at encouraging the overseas Pakistanis to transfer remittances through banking channels.

The government said the PM was fully aware of problems faced by the overseas Pakistanis in sending remittances and retaining their legal properties in Pakistan.

Source: The Express Tribune