Pakistan assured by UAE of expeditious issuance of visas

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Wednesday took up the pressing and demanding issue of granting visas to Pakistanis at the highest diplomatic level, in which the latter assured that it was expediting visas for Pakistani nationals.

The matter was raised when UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Al Zaabi called on Deputy Prime Minister/ Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar at the Foreign Office and discussions on areas of cooperation between Pakistan and the UAE took place, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

“Deputy Prime Minister/ Foreign Minister and Ambassador Al Zaabi also discussed visa issues for Pakistani nationals. The ambassador briefed the deputy prime minister on the steps being taken to streamline the visa processes including augmenting human resource. These steps will cut the delays and expedite the visa processing,” said the FO after the meeting.

Earlier, the government had said that during their interactions with the UAE government, the subject of issuing visas to Pakistanis was an important agenda item.

Recently, either delays or outright rejection of the UAE visas for Pakistanis had been making headlines, but Islamabad had continuously rejected these reports.

Nearly every week during the media briefings at the Foreign Office, the issue of UAE visas and large number of Pakistanis in the UAE jails had been raised, but the spokeswoman rejected the impression that the UAE had put in place a ban on issuing visas to Pakistani nationals and fresh restrictions had been placed by the UAE government. Pakistan said that granting visas to an individual was the sovereign right and decision of the country concerned.

The FO did not disclose whether besides the UAE visas, the issue of a large number of Pakistanis in UAE jails had also been raised between Ishaq Dar and Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Al Zaabi. Reportedly these jailed Pakistanis had been involved in illegal activities in the UAE.

Earlier, when the issue of reportedly 5,000 Pakistanis in the UAE jails was raised at the Foreign Office media briefings, the spokeswoman had commented that she could not confirm the figures about the number of Pakistanis there.

The UK High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, called on Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. They discussed bilateral relations and regional developments. They reaffirmed commitment to further enhance bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.