Pakistan defence minister severely criticised for remarks on Pak expatriates

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has been severely criticised for his remarks on Pakistani expatriates in the National Assembly. In a statement last week, the Association of Physicians of Pakistani-Descent of North America (APPNA) said that Defence Minister Asif used "condescending and degraded language" when referring to the Pakistani diaspora in the United States and Canada.

Addressing the National Assembly last Wednesday (June 14), Asif said, "English speakers sitting outside of Pakistan are saying that remittance will be stopped… remittances are sent by Gulf countries. Someone is living in Canada, someone in America… these are shameless people, they come back to bury the bodies and then go back," The Tribune reported on Saturday (June 17).

Asif's remarks unfortunate & unacceptable: APPNA

Hitting back, the APPNA said in a statement that Asif's remarks "were glaringly contemptuous of Pakistanis in North America and Europe."

"Derogatory comments about more than three million overseas Pakistanis by a sitting minister of the Pakistan government holding a very important portfolio of Defence is unfortunate and unacceptable."

The APPNA pointed out that the Pakistani diaspora living in the Western world, in general, and North America in particular, "has forever nothing but the welfare of Pakistan on its mind".

APPNA condemns disparaging remarks of Khwaja Mohammad Asif, Pakistan Minister for Defense about overseas Pakistanis, demands apology. Requests Honorable Prime Minister @cmshehbaz to reconsider Mr. Asif’s position in the cabinet. pic.twitter.com/yMvu2ygsQU — Assoc. of Pakistani Physicians of North America (@APPNA) June 15, 2023

The association also said that the services of overseas Pakistanis, regardless of whether they carried single or dual nationality, always brought a good name to Pakistan. "Mr Asif may have his political differences with some overseas Pakistanis, but that does not give him any right to disparage the whole community. Even responding to political opponents should be with political arguments and not with hateful rhetoric," the statement added.

The APPNA hoped that the defence minister's remarks did not reflect the stance of Islamabad. The association further said it felt sorry for some members of the National Assembly who encouraged Asif's remarks with desk thumping.

PTI leader hits out at Asif: 'Remarks utterly ill-informed'

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar hit out at Defence Minister Asif over his remarks on Pakistani expatriates. Taking to Twitter, Umar said on Saturday that Asif's remarks were shameful and utterly ill-informed.

Khwaja asif comments about Pakistani's living in western countries is both shameful and utterly ill informed. In first 11 months of this fiscal year almost $ 10.5 billion remittances have been recieved from north America, Europe and Australia. This is 42% of total remittances.… — Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) June 17, 2023

"In the first 11 months of this fiscal year, almost $ 10.5 billion in remittances have been received from North America, Europe and Australia. This is 42% of total remittances. State bank total reserves right now are about $4 billion," Umar tweeted.

"So if these English-speaking Pakistanis as Asif calls them, had not sent these remittances, Pakistan would have defaulted by now," he added.

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