Islamabad: Federal Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has raised questions about the preparations of some officers of the government bureaucracy to settle permanently abroad and said that the commitment to Pakistan of officers who hold high positions, receive government patronage and receive honor and privileges from the country should be reviewed.
In his statement on the social networking website ‘X’, Khawaja Asif said that there are capable and honest officers in the bureaucracy of Pakistan and there is no doubt about it, however, a large number have made Canada, America, Britain and Europe their permanent residence for the past several years.
He said that some officers made regular plans to settle permanently abroad during their government service, which raises questions about their commitment to the homeland and government responsibilities during their service.
The Federal Defense Minister said that for the past few years, the name of Portugal has been coming up in connection with the transfer of government officers abroad and he had also made a statement on X a few months ago on this subject.
Khawaja Asif claimed that the officers whose names are coming out in this regard have been receiving attention and patronage from different governments for years and are holding important positions.
He also claimed that a person who allegedly facilitated the acquisition of permanent residency (PR) is absconding after receiving huge sums of money from several wealthy bureaucrats. Various stories are circulating regarding this matter, however, he did not present detailed evidence regarding the officers concerned, the alleged facilitator or the financial transactions in his statement.
The Federal Defense Minister raised the question that those who held high government positions, who were respected by the country, who were given opportunities to accumulate wealth through legitimate or illegitimate means and who were in the favor of politicians, can their commitment to the country be considered beyond doubt throughout their tenure?
Khawaja Asif said that whether such officers have a permanent attachment to Pakistan during their government service or some of them are merely serving here temporarily with plans to move abroad in the future.
He has highlighted more important questions regarding the transfer of government officers abroad, permanent residence arrangements, financial resources and official responsibilities. To know the truth of these matters, a transparent review of the assets, sources of income, foreign investments and compliance with legal requirements of the concerned officers is necessary