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UAE freezes regular visas for Pakistanis over 'criminal activity' concerns; stops short of full ban
According to Committee chairperson Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, only a small number of visas had recently been granted, “and those too after much difficulty”.
Months of rising complaints from Pakistani travellers have now been officially acknowledged, with authorities confirming that the United Arab Emirates has stopped issuing regular visas to Pakistani nationals due to concerns over applicants “getting involved in criminal activities”, The Dawn reported.
Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry informed the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on Thursday that the UAE had unofficially suspended visa issuance for Pakistani passport holders, except for those with blue and diplomatic passports.
He reportedly told the committee that both the UAE and Saudi Arabia had “stopped short of imposing a complete ban” on the Pakistani passport and cautioned that “if a ban is imposed, getting it removed would be difficult.”
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Why the restrictions?
Committee chairperson Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri supported his assessment, saying the restrictions followed repeated instances of Pakistani visitors being implicated in unlawful activities in the UAE, The Dawn's report said.
She said the measures were introduced amid heightened concerns that Pakistanis arriving in the country were “getting involved in criminal activities.”
According to her, only a small number of visas had recently been granted, “and those too after much difficulty”.
Pakistanis reported widespread visa rejections
The issue has been building for months. Pakistanis began reporting widespread visa rejections as early as July, leading Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to take up the matter with his UAE counterpart.
During their July 11 meeting, UAE Lt Gen Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan offered “full support” but did not reverse the curbs, the report further mentioned.
The continuing restrictions also conflict with assurances given in April, when UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi said the visa issues had been “resolved” and that Pakistanis could avail a five-year visa.
Concerns over the misuse of visit visas by Pakistani nationals have surfaced repeatedly. In January, the Senate Committee on Overseas Pakistanis was told that several UAE visa categories had been “unofficially closed.”
