Khawaja Asif questions bureaucrats’ preparations to settle abroad permanently

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has questioned the preparations of some bureaucrats to settle abroad permanently. He said the commitment to Pakistan of officers who have held senior posts, enjoyed government patronage and received honour and privileges from the country should be reviewed.

In a statement on the social media website X, he said there were capable and honest officers in the bureaucracy and there was no doubt about that. However, he said, a large number had for many years made Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe their permanent home.

Mention of Portugal

He said some officers had made proper plans to settle abroad permanently while still in government service. This, he said, raises questions about their commitment to the country and their official responsibilities.

According to Khawaja Asif, the name of Portugal has been coming up for the past few years in connection with officers moving abroad. He said he had also made a statement on X on the subject a few months ago.

He claimed that the officers whose names were coming up had for years enjoyed the attention and patronage of various governments and held important posts.

He also claimed that a man who allegedly facilitated the acquisition of permanent residency (PR) had absconded after receiving large sums from a number of wealthy bureaucrats, and that various stories about the matter were doing the rounds. However, he did not present detailed evidence about the officers concerned, the alleged facilitator or the financial dealings.

The defence minister asked whether the commitment to the country of those who held high government posts, whom the homeland honoured, who had the opportunity to amass wealth through fair or foul means and who were favourites of politicians could be considered beyond doubt throughout their service.

He said it was a question whether such officers have a permanent attachment to Pakistan during their government service, or whether some of them serve here only temporarily as part of plans to move abroad in future.

He said that to learn the truth, a transparent review of the officers’ assets, sources of income, investments abroad and compliance with legal requirements was necessary.