ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani Thursday directed the Ministry of Interior to clear the backlog of Machine Readable Passports and National Identity Cards for local and overseas Pakistanis. Talking to Jamil Ahmad Khan, Pakistan's Ambassador to UAE who called on him at the PM House, the Prime Minister directed the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports and NADRA to facilitate expeditious clearance of the documents for the Pakistani community in UAE, in coordination with Pakistan's diplomatic mission. The Prime Minister also appreciated that the UAE had now emerged as the largest source of home remittances and directed Pakistan's diplomatic missions to redouble efforts to increase the volume by providing every possible help and assistance to the 1.2 million strong Pakistani community. The ambassador apprised the Prime Minister of his efforts to strengthen political, commercial and economic relations between Pakistan and UAE and sought Prime Minister's intercession for resolving some outstanding bilateral issues. The Prime Minister issued instructions to the relevant authorities and assured the ambassador of his government's continued support for further strengthening of bilateral fraternal ties with the UAE.