On National Day, Emiratis say Pakistan is 'second home'

ISLAMABAD: Calling Pakistan their “second home” during United Arab Emirates National Day celebrations in Islamabad on Thursday, Emirati diplomats desired visa-on-arrival facility to further cement bilateral bond.
UAE envoy Hamad Obaid Al-Zaabi, observing the 48th anniversary of the union of the seven emirates, said he was celebrating it at his “second home, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” with which bonds of brotherhood will be strengthened further under “the visionary leadership of both countries.”
Al-Zaabi underscored the UAE’s commitment to support Pakistan’s economic stability by “investments, developmental and humanitarian projects.”

The UAE has already given Pakistan $3 billion to help stave off its balance-of-payments crisis after Saudi Arabia provided similar financial support.
The Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf Saeed Al-Malki, said during the event that both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have strong ties with Pakistan.
Al-Malki told Arab News that “Pakistan and UAE have an excellent relation which is further developing” in several sectors of mutual interest.
Pakistanis are the UAE’s second largest expat community. About 1.6 million of them live in the UAE, comprising 12.5 percent of its population. Emiratis themselves call their own country “the second home of Pakistanis.”
Pakistan’s federal minister for economic affairs, Muhammad Hammad Azhar, who was guest of honor at the National Day event, told Arab News that the “UAE has wide investments and some of the top brands in Pakistan are owned and run by the UAE.” He added that in coming days bilateral economic and political ties will deepen.

Azhar also said that Pakistan is working on further relaxing its visa policy for Emirati citizens. “Tourism is an upcoming and booming sector in Pakistan, and soon the list of countries permitted visa-on-arrival will be enhanced.”