Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday decided to continue the incentive scheme for remittances for overseas Pakistanis.

He directed the Ministry of Finance to immediately release funds for the Workers’ Remittances Incentive Scheme on a priority basis.

He said: “Overseas Pakistanis are our strength and a valuable asset of Pakistan.”

“The hard-earned remittances of overseas Pakistanis play an important role in the development of Pakistan, which the entire nation, including me, values,” he added.

In the fiscal year 2025, he said overseas Pakistanis helped achieve the target of current account surplus for the first time in 14 years by sending a record $38.3 billion in remittances.

These remittances not only helped pay the rising import bill but also boosted the foreign exchange reserves, the prime minister noted.

He said: “Overseas workers and businessmen play a crucial role in the country’s development and progress by sending remittances to their homeland.”

“We are removing obstacles in the way of remittances sent by hardworking Pakistanis abroad by making the system better, more efficient and easier,” he added.