UAE Visa To Pakistanis: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has tightened entry for Pakistani residents, halting most visa issuance and reportedly coming shut to a whole ban on Pakistani passports, in keeping with senior officers from Islamabad.
Further Inside Secretary Salman Chaudhry instructed a Senate panel on Thursday that each the UAE and Saudi Arabia “stopped in need of imposing a ban on the Pakistani passport”, however warned that reversing such a call sooner or later can be extraordinarily tough.
“This was on the desk,” Chaudhry admitted, acknowledging the precarious state of affairs for Pakistanis overseas.
At current, solely holders of blue and diplomatic passports, that are reserved for presidency officers, are capable of get hold of UAE visas. Unusual Pakistanis, travelling on the usual inexperienced passport, face restrictions.
Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, chairperson of the Senate Useful Committee on Human Rights, confirmed that the measures are linked to considerations over Pakistani nationals “getting concerned in legal actions” inside the UAE.
She additional stated that only a few visas have been issued in current months, and even these had been granted solely “after a lot problem”.
The clampdown highlights Pakistan’s rising credibility points abroad, with its residents repeatedly flagged for misusing journey privileges.
Earlier this 12 months, the UAE reportedly “unofficially closed” sure go to visas after stories that some Pakistanis had been participating in begging as a substitute of official work.
Regardless of Pakistan and the UAE’s long-standing diplomatic and financial ties, together with a major Pakistani workforce and remittances flowing again dwelling, repeated journey misbehaviour has strained belief. Visa approvals stay unsure, notably for bizarre passport holders, whereas work visas are reportedly unaffected.
The UAE’s transfer coincides with its current push to modernise visa processes. On the identical day because the Senate briefing, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Salem M. Salem Al Bawab Al Zaabi outlined new “facilitation reforms” for Pakistanis, together with on-line functions, e-visas with out passport stamping, quicker digital linkages and processing on the newly launched UAE Visa Centre, which handles round 500 functions day by day.
Even with these reforms, the message is obvious: Pakistan’s home mismanagement and the conduct of its residents overseas are actually prompting harsh measures from key Gulf allies. Islamabad’s failure to curb journey abuses has left bizarre residents paying the value, with their mobility more and more restricted.