Pak Consulate in Dubai to have new building

DUBAI: The construction of new building of Pakistan Consulate in Dubai will start before summer this year.

Consul General of Pakistan in Dubai Ahmed Amjad Ali said this to the staff of the consulate during his first meeting in the premises of the mission. Newly-appointed Consul General Ahmed Amjad Ali took charge of the mission few days back. He was consul general at Pakistan Consulate General in Bradford before being appointed for Dubai.

A senior diplomat informed The News that Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already approved the budget for the construction of the new consulate under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for 2018-19.

During the meeting, the new consul general stated that the consulate would have to be shifted to new place for its operations during the construction period of the new building, according to sources.

“The new government of Pakistan wants to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis especially who have been residing in Middle East,” Ahmed Amjad Ali stated.

The existing building of Pakistan Consulate in Dubai cannot even accommodate 100 people. Although, more than 1.6 million Pakistani expatriates live in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it is uphill task to facilitate the community. According to the consulate’s figures, more than 500 people visit the mission daily.

Former consul general Javed Hassan had opted to reside in the rental villa in Dubai instead of living in the designated residence of consul general adjacent to the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai after declaring the residence dilapidated. The Consulate General of Pakistan is still operational in the old building.

Ahmed Amjad Ali further stated that the consulate would have to work from another vicinity during the construction work of the mission. It is learnt that the tender of the new building will be floated soon while the whole project will take around 18 months to complete. With the new consulate building, the facility's hall on the ground floor will be able accommodate up to 400 people who come for the issuance and renewal of their passports, national identity cards, out-passes, attestation and visa. According to the plan, new parking spaces would also be built in the premises.