Pakistan has officially confirmed that the United Arab Emirates has stopped issuing visas to Pakistani passport holders. The update came from Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry during a meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights.
Officials Explain Why UAE Has Restricted Visas
Chaudhry said the UAE and Saudi Arabia have not imposed a complete ban on the Pakistani passport yet. But he warned that any formal ban in the future would be very difficult to reverse. At the moment, the UAE is only issuing visas to blue-passport and diplomatic-passport holders.
Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri also confirmed the development. She said the restrictions are linked to concerns about some Pakistanis travelling to the UAE and being involved in criminal activities. She added that even the few visas issued recently were approved after great difficulty.
The UAE is one of Pakistan’s strongest economic partners and home to a large expatriate community. Many families depend on UAE-based remittances. Because of this, the latest restrictions have raised serious concerns among workers hoping to travel for jobs.
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Officials said they are monitoring the situation and will continue to engage with UAE authorities. More updates are expected as discussions continue.
