Consul General of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Karachi, Bakheet Ateeq Al-Romaithi have denied the reports of visa restrictions for Pakistani citizens.
According to Dawn News report, a UAE diplomat clarified that there are no bans on work and other category visas for Pakistanis, stating that the UAE is issuing visas regularly.
The diplomat explained that the UAE has implemented a centralized visa system for all countries.
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However, some Pakistani travel agents reportedly tampered with records, creating issues for both the UAE government and visa holders.
“Record tampering has been reported to the Government of Pakistan,” the diplomat said, “To maintain transparency, a biometric system has now been introduced,” he further added.
He noted that over 2.27 million Pakistanis currently live in the UAE.
Pakistani residents involved in minor offenses have been given an opportunity to correct their records.
READ: UAE not issuing visas to Pakistanis, Senate committee told
The clarification comes after Additional Secretary Interior Salman Chaudhry informed a Senate committee that the UAE had stopped issuing visas to Pakistani citizens.
Speaking at the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights, the official warned that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE had nearly reached the point of imposing a complete ban on Pakistani passports, which could prove difficult to reverse.
Salman Chaudhry informed the committee that the UAE was currently issuing visas only to blue passport and diplomatic passport holders.
He underlined the seriousness of the matter, considering the large number of Pakistanis living abroad.
Pakistan and the UAE have long-standing diplomatic, cultural, and economic ties, with the UAE serving as a major trading partner.
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Millions of Pakistani workers in the Gulf contribute significantly through remittances every year.
Committee Chairperson Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri confirmed these statements and said the restrictions were linked to concerns about individuals travelling on visit visas and later getting involved in unlawful activities inside the UAE.
She added that the committee had been informed that only a small number of visas had been issued recently, and even those were granted after considerable difficulty, reflecting the seriousness of the situation.
