“Funds” for Pakistan’s overseas missions have been made available.
According to the spokesperson for the SBP, the organization has also approved the provision of foreign exchange for this reason.
ISLAMABAD: In light of the country’s continued financial difficulties, the finance ministry has issued the money required to support the country’s embassies and missions abroad, including the payment of their staff members’ wages.
According to a spokesperson for the finance ministry, the foreign affairs ministry has received the money for a number of Pakistani embassies and posts abroad up to the third quarter.
The spokesperson continued by saying that the provision of foreign currency for this purpose had also received approval from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
It had come to light that due to a lack of dollars, the finance ministry had been unable to release the cash, and the salaries of the staff of many Pakistani embassies abroad had been suspended for four months.
Several missions from Europe had also written letters to the foreign affairs ministry complaining about the financial difficulties they were having and the fact that their salaries, which totaled $5 million over the previous four months, had not been paid.
According to sources, the Pakistani Mission in Germany wrote to the foreign affairs ministry to complain that a lack of funding was impeding its normal operation.
They continued by saying that the staff members at the missions in the US, France, Germany, Oman, Vienna, and Belgium had also not gotten their paychecks.
Employees of the foreign affairs ministry in Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan have also not received their paychecks on time.
Through a letter, the foreign affairs ministry informed the finance ministry of the circumstance, but the relevant authorities refused to release the payments due to inadequate dollar reserves.
When contacted by The Express Tribune, a representative for the finance ministry stated that money had been provided to cover Pakistani embassies’ and missions’ expenses, including paying staff members’ salaries.
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The spokeswoman continued by saying that the provision of foreign currency for this reason had also received approval from the central bank.
According to the Foreign Office official, releasing the money for the Pakistani missions abroad required a number of stages and transactions that occasionally went behind schedule.
The spokeswoman responded to the media claims by saying that the issue was being addressed by the foreign affairs ministry in conjunction with the finance ministry and other relevant agencies.
The spokesperson continued, “It is the objective of the government to ensure the operation of Pakistani missions overseas and all relevant departments are dedicated to this end.”
The FO official added that Pakistani embassies and diplomats abroad were devoted to serving as ambassadors and carrying out their duties.
