New incentive package for the Overseas Pakistanis
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In Karachi, a new 'Diamond' category has been added to the SohniDharti Program, which will be effective from September 22, 2023. This new category joins the existing three categories, namely 'Green,' 'Gold,' and 'Platinum.'
It's important to note that in the budget presentation for the fiscal year 2024, the Finance Minister at the time, Ishaq Dar, had announced the initiation of the Diamond category, which includes additional incentive points, unrestricted bore arms licenses, preferential treatment at Pakistani embassies/airports, and free passports for Diamond category holders.
This Program is based on points, where individuals who send remittances through designated channels (entities within the State Bank's jurisdiction) earn incentive points by sending these remittances.
Senders and their beneficiaries can obtain free goods and services through the use of these incentive points. For example, they can benefit from immigrant registration fees at the Immigration and Overseas Employment Bureau, duty payments on imported mobile phones and vehicles at the Federal Board of Revenue, school fees at the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) schools, and passport renewal fees at the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports.
Furthermore, these incentive points can also be used for international air tickets and additional luggage charges by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), life insurance/takaful premium payments at the State Life Insurance Corporation, and purchases made at Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan.
These incentive points are represented in the form of a virtual card application, which automatically updates with incentive points.