ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has for the first time introduced the medical visa category in its revised visa policy, making it easier for people to enter Pakistan for health-related emergencies, the ministry of interior has said.
According to a letter issued by the interior ministry to the Director General of Immigration and Passports, the federal cabinet approved new changes to the visa policy on Feb 2. The letter was published by Pakistani media on Monday.
Interior ministry spokesperson Zafaryab Khan told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper the medical visa category had been introduced for the first time.
“Pak Missions abroad will issue Short Term Medical Visa to cater emergencies (Visa Type: Single Entry/Individual/Family/Attendant) … with duration up to 3 months within a stipulated timeframe of 48 hours subject to submission of requite documents by the applicant,” the interior ministry letter said, adding that security clearance would not be required for short term visas.
For extended term medical visas of up to one year, the ministry of interior would approve them within 30 days after clearance from security agencies.
“Case shall be assumed as approved in case agencies response is not received within specified time,” the interior ministry document said.
The interior ministry said single-entry work visas for up to three months would be approved within 48 hours of the application’s submission. Security clearance would not be required but intelligence agencies would be informed, according to the document. Security clearance would, however, be needed if an individual who had been issued a single-entry work visa sought an extension.
Interior secretary Khan told local media the government had dropped all “unnecessary” requirements in visas and applicants would only have to submit necessary documents.
“We have to facilitate people as well,” he said.
In a first, Pakistan unveils new rules to allow medical visas
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In a first, Pakistan unveils new rules to allow medical visas
- Short term medical visas of up to three months to be approved within 48 hours of submitting documents, no security clearance needed
- For extended term medical visas of up to one year, ministry of interior to approve within 30 days after clearance from security agencies
Islamabad dismisses claims about paying up to 8 percent interest on foreign loans as ‘misleading’
- Pakistan has long relied on external loans to help bridge persistent gaps in public finances and foreign exchange reserves
- Pakistan’s total external debt, liabilities stand at $138 billion at an overall average cost of around 4 percent, ministry says
KARACHI: Pakistan’s finance ministry on Sunday dismissed as “misleading” claims that the country is paying up to 8 percent interest on external loans, saying the overall average cost of external public debt is approximately 4 percent.
Pakistan has long relied on external loans to help bridge persistent gaps in public finances and foreign exchange reserves, driven largely by a narrow tax base, chronic trade deficits, rising debt-servicing costs and repeated balance-of-payments pressures.
Over the decades, successive governments have turned to multilateral and bilateral lenders, including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to support budgetary needs and shore up foreign exchange reserves.
The finance ministry on Sunday issued a clarification in response to a “recent press commentary” regarding the country’s external debt position and associated interest payments, and said the figures required contextual explanation to ensure accurate understanding of Pakistan’s external debt profile.
“Pakistan’s total external debt and liabilities currently stand at $138 billion. This figure, however, encompasses a broad range of obligations, including public and publicly guaranteed debt, debt of Public Sector Enterprises (both guaranteed and non-guaranteed), bank borrowings, private-sector external debt, and intercompany liabilities to direct investors. It is therefore important to distinguish this aggregate figure from External Public (Government) Debt, which amounts to approximately $92 billion,” it said.
“Of the total External Public Debt, nearly 75 percent comprises concessional and long-term financing obtained from multilateral institutions (excluding the IMF) and bilateral development partners. Only about 7 percent of this debt consists of commercial loans, while another 7 percent relates to long-term Eurobonds. In light of this composition, the claim that Pakistan is paying interest on external loans ‘up to 8 percent’ is misleading.
The overall average cost of External Public Debt is approximately 4 percent, reflecting the predominantly concessional nature of the borrowing portfolio.”
With respect to interest payments, public external debt interest outflows increased from $1.99 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 to $3.59 billion in FY2025, representing an increase of 80.4 percent, not 84 percent as reported. In absolute terms, interest payments rose by $1.60 billion over this period, not $1.67 billion, it said.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan’s records, Pakistan’s total debt servicing payments to specific creditors during the period under reference were as follows: the IMF received $1.50 billion, of which $580 million constituted interest; Naya Pakistan Certificates payments totaled $1.56 billion, including $94 million in interest; the Asian Development Bank received $1.54 billion, including $615 million in interest; the World Bank received $1.25 billion, including $419 million in interest; and external commercial loans amounted to nearly $3 billion, of which $327 million represented interest payments.
“While interest payments have increased in absolute terms, this rise cannot be attributed solely to an expansion in the debt stock,” the ministry said. “Although the overall debt stock has increased slightly since FY2022, the additional inflows have primarily originated from concessional multilateral sources and the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) under the ongoing IMF-supported program.”
Pakistan secured a $7 billion IMF bailout in Sept. 2024 as part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s efforts to stabilize the South Asian economy that narrowly averted a default in 2023. The government has since been making efforts to boost trade and bring in foreign investment to consolidate recovery.
“It is also important to note that the increase in interest payments reflects prevailing global interest rate dynamics. In response to the inflation surge of 2021–22, the US Federal Reserve raised the federal funds rate from 0.75-1.00 percent in May 2022 to 5.25–5.50 percent by July 2023. Although rates have since moderated to around 3.75 percent, they remain significantly higher than 2022 levels,” the finance ministry said.
“The government remains committed to prudent debt management, transparency, and the continued strengthening of Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability,” it added.
