Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 1
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Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 1 Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 2 Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 3 Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This volume is based on papers presented at the two-day international conference on ―Potential and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora‖ held on November 14-15, 2012 at Islamabad Hotel, Islamabad. The Conference was jointly organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation, (HSF) Islamabad. The organisers of the Conference are especially thankful to Dr. Martin Axmann, Resident Representative HSF, Islamabad, for his co- operation and sharing the expense on the Conference. For the papers presented in this volume, we are grateful to all participants, as well as the chairpersons of the different sessions. We are also thankful to the scholars, students and professionals who accepted our invitation to participate in the conference. The successful completion of the Conference owes much to the untiring efforts and logistical support provided by the staff of the IPRI and the HSF. Finally, our thanks are due to all those whom it would not be possible to thank individually for their help in making the Conference a success. Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 5 ACRONYMS ACFROC All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese AJK Azad Jammu and Kashmir ANP Awami National Party APPNA Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America BBC Urdu British Broadcasting Corporation Urdu BEOE Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment BIOE Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment CAK Culture Area Karakorum CCP Chinese Communist Party CGE Computable General Equilibrium CP Colombo Process CPPCC Chinese People‘s Political Consultative Conference CWAs Community Welfare Attaches DAAD German Academic Exchange Service DfG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft EU European Union FDI Foreign Direct Investment FERC Foreign Exchange Remittance Card GCC Gulf Cooperation Council GCIM Global Commission on International Migration GDP Gross Domestic Product GNP Gross National Product HEC Higher Education Commission ICU Intensive Care Unit IDPs Internally Displaced Persons IOM International Organization of Migration IT Information Technology KHW Karakorum High Way KPK Khyber Pakhtunkhwa LMU Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität ME Middle East Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 6 MOIF Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs MQM Mohajir Quami Movement NADRA National Database and Registration Authority NGOs Non-governmental Organization NICOP National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis NIPS National Institute of Pakistan Studies NPC National People‘s Congress NRI Non Resident Indians NWFP North West Frontier Province OCAC Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee OCIs Overseas Citizens of India OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OEPs Overseas Employment Promoters ONS Office of the National Statistics OPF Overseas Pakistanis Foundation PBD Pravasi Bharatiya Divas PDC Pakistan Diaspora Commission PIDE Pakistan Institute of Development Economics PIOs Persons of Indian Origin PML-N Pakistan Muslim League (N) POC Pakistan Origin Cards PRC People‘s Republic of China PSLM Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement Survey SADC South Asian Diaspora Convention SAI South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University SCCCI Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry SEZs Special Economic Zones SLS Semant Lok Sangthan STEM Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics TCF The Citizens Foundation UAE United Arab Emirates UK United Kingdom US United States WCEC World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention WTO World Trade Organization Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 7 Contents Acknowledgements Acronyms i Introduction 1 Welcome Address 11 Dr. Noor ul Haq Opening Remarks Mr.Andreas Duerr 12 Inaugural Address Dr. Kamal Monnoo 13 Concluding Address Dr. Muhammad Farooq Sattar 14 Chapter 1 Changing Perceptions about Home: The Life of Second and Third Generation Dr. Marta Bolognani 17 Chapter 2 Changing Patterns of Migration: Brain Drain/Human Capital Migration Ms. Nadia Sajjad 35 Chapter 3 Migration and Family Structures: Case Study of Mirpur Ms. Saira Rehman 55 Chapter 4 Experiences of a Pakistani Student in Germany Dr. M. Azam Chaudhry 63 Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 8 Chapter 5 Conflict Conflagration and Conflict Mitigation in the Context of Pakistani Diaspora: Permanent, Circular Migration and Political Refuge Dr. Moonis Ahmar 77 Chapter 6 International Migrations and Middle Class Nexus in Pakistan: A Preliminary Investigation Dr. G.M. Arif 90 Chapter 7 Migrants’ Rights and Pakistani Diaspora Communities Dr. Sabiha H. Syed 121 Chapter 8 Diaspora and Economy: Effects of the Global Economic Slowdown on Remittances Dr. Vaqar Ahmed and Mr. Muhammed Sohaib 133 Chapter 9 Influence of Remittances on Disaster Management Dr. Abid Qayum Suleri 154 Chapter 10 Diaspora Philanthropy Mr. Zubair K. Bhatti 157 Chapter 11 Indian Model of Managing Diaspora (Non Resident Indians) Mr. Mohammed Abdul Kalam 160 Chapter 12 The Chinese Model of Diaspora Management Dr. Hong Liu and Dr. Els van Dongen 174 Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 9 Chapter 13 Vision for Overseas Pakistanis 2050: Imperatives and Challenges Dr. Muhammad Hafeez 195 Contributors 211 Index 214 IPRI Publications 224 Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 1 Introduction Dr. Noor ul Haq, Air Cdre Khalid Iqbal (R) and Muhammad Nawaz Khan his volume presents the proceedings of a two-day international conference on ―Potential and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora‖ jointly T organised by Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), Germany on November 14-15 , 2012. Prominent scholars, academicians and policy-makers from Pakistan, United Kingdom (UK), India and Singapore participated in the Conference. Various contemporary models were discussed and strategies were proposed to optimise Pakistani diaspora‘s role in enhancing social and economic status of the country. The objective of the Conference was to have an in-depth study of various aspects of Pakistani diaspora to evolve a vision for optimally managing it and realizing its potential. In order to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the diaspora‘s impact on the social, political and economic life in Pakistan, a cross-sectional study was undertaken alongside a comparative evaluation as to how other countries with other sizable diasporas have managed and utilized them for respective national development. Pakistan has a huge and diverse diaspora numbering around seven million, scattered all over the world. They are either Pakistani citizens or are of Pakistani origin. Some have moved to the UK, where they already live as second or third generation, while some have moved to the United States (US) and Canada to start a new life. Others have taken up temporary work in the Middle East (ME)/Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to improve their livelihood. Besides, Pakistani students are living and studying at various universities, mostly in the western countries; some of them return to their homeland to make use of their acquired knowledge and expertise; a large number chooses to adopt their host country as a place of permanent residence. A large number of them also hold dual citizenship. Cumulatively, overseas Pakistanis contribute around five per cent of Pakistan‘s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through remittances i.e., around US$ 13 billion per annum. Over the decades, the mobility of the Pakistani emigrants has been global and has had a considerable impact on the society of host countries as well as developments in Pakistan. In view of the potential and importance Potentil and Prospects of Pakistani Diaspora 2 of its diaspora, the government of Pakistan has instituted the Ministry for Overseas Pakistanis. The ministry's task is to formulate policies to facilitate working conditions of Pakistanis abroad and assist their re-integration when they finally return home. The impulse for migration, social conditions prior to migration, experiences in the new country of residence, social and familial connections to Pakistan and the dilemma whether to return or not — are some of the variables influencing the non-resident Pakistanis‘ patterns of engagement back home. How do members of the diaspora returning home affect the intellectual and social life of the local communities? How can students coming back from abroad improve conditions in Pakistan? Are there ways and means to better coordinate and manage a large number of overseas Pakistanis with diverse educational and social backgrounds? In which ways, can engagement with the Pakistani diaspora open up avenues for national development? The Pakistani emigrants comprise mostly of working class people who leave their homeland in search of livelihood, though the number of members from higher socio-economic strata, professionals and businessmen has been growing over the decades. The motive for migration is primarily economic; to secure not only basic livelihood but a better life for themselves and dependants back home. The choice to return is governed by factors like comparative opportunities in the host country and homeland, willingness of the host countries to retain them, and family compulsions in Pakistan. The Pakistani diaspora makes tangible as well as intangible contributions to their country of origin as well as to their country of residence. Studies have explored the changing dynamics