On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari launched the “Global Launch of the Automation of the Power of Attorney (PoA)” as a platform providing overseas Pakistanis with an efficient digital solution for obtaining power of attorney services without having to physically appear at respective embassies and consulates.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Syed Hussain Tariq, Foreign Secretary Dr Asad Majeed Khan, and NADRA Chairman Dr Tariq Malik attended the inaugural ceremony at the Foreign Office.
In his speech, the foreign minister characterised the event as the realisation of a big initiative to aid Pakistanis living abroad. In addition, he complimented everyone who had worked tirelessly to make the initiative a reality.
According to him, the automation of the attestation/legalization of power of attorney has been a long-standing demand of overseas Pakistanis, and it will benefit individuals who must travel long distances from different cities and remote locations to Pakistan embassies. By offering attestation services at the doorstep, he explained, the automated method will save expenses and reduce inconvenience.
The foreign minister hoped that the facility currently granted to Pakistanis living abroad will be extended to those living in Pakistan.
“Technology is the future, and by utilising it, we can improve our governance and increase transparency. We would like to expand our collaboration in order to bring other services online. Bilawal stated that it is a source of great satisfaction that countries like Nigeria are using Pakistan’s institutional model and knowledge.
NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik stated that identification is one of the most prominent manifestations of the explosive growth of digital technology, and that the agency is now assisting government institutions to capitalise on this digital transformation by taking action based on our analysis of human relationships. Pakistanis around the world will now be able to exercise their right to delegate representative authority digitally and with unprecedented assurance over their physical and virtual identities.
The automation of power of attorney was initiated as a pilot project in ten Pakistani missions and sub-missions in the United States and the United Kingdom in November 2021. This service is now available to the whole Pakistani diaspora living overseas.
According to a statement issued by the NADRA here, the authority has designed, developed, and implemented a web-based solution to digitally issue PAO, and more than nine million overseas Pakistanis can access this service from the comfort of their own homes, eliminating the need and expense of travelling to a Pakistani mission. This will be of particular help to Pakistanis living abroad who are distant from an embassy or consulate, it was said.
NADRA’s novel approach for digital PoA employs cutting-edge Pak-ID Online Biometric Verification Services, according to the document. During the application process, the applicant(s) (also known as Executor(s)) and two witnesses will scan and upload their paper-based biometrics, which are then confirmed in real-time via the National Database. NADRA has subsequently enabled a Video Interview Module within the application, allowing the Consular Officer at the pertinent Pakistan Mission to conduct an online interview with the executor(s), witnesses, and notarize their approval to execute the PoA.