ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said on Monday Islamabad “greatly” appreciated Kuwait resuming family and business visas for Pakistanis, calling it a manifestation of growing bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
After meeting with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Sunday, Pakistani interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed announced that Kuwait would “immediately” resume granting of business and family visas to Pakistani nationals.
Kuwait suspended visas for nationals of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2011 over what it said were difficult security conditions in the five countries.
“Pakistan and Kuwait have fraternal ties, which are firmly rooted in shared faith and values. The bilateral relationship is marked by growing cooperation in diverse fields,” foreign office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a statement, saying it was in this spirit that Kuwait had restored visas for family reunions and businesses. “We greatly appreciate Kuwaiti cooperation in this regard”.
The spokesperson said Pakistani businesspersons residing in other Gulf countries could now avail online visa facilitation for entry into Kuwait.
At present, owing to COVID-19 related travel restrictions, only Kuwaitis are allowed to enter Kuwait, Chaudhri said, with an exception made only for medical professionals.
“Relevant Pakistani and Kuwaiti authorities are also working together to chalk out a mechanism for the export of manpower in various fields from Pakistan,” Chaudhari added.
President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, welcomed the lifting of the visa ban and termed it a “great opportunity” for Pakistani businesses to expand their product market in the Gulf region.
“We were unable to compete in the Kuwait market directly due to visa restriction during the last one decade,” he said. “Travel is fundamental for business growth and due to restrictions in Kuwait, our competitors from the neighboring South Asian countries were taking advantage of that.”
“Our major products, which we can now directly send to Kuwait, are rice, meat and services especially in the information technology (IT) sector which are much cheaper in Pakistan,” Khan said.
Visa resumption by Kuwait marks growing bilateral cooperation with Pakistan — foreign office
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Visa resumption by Kuwait marks growing bilateral cooperation with Pakistan — foreign office
- Kuwait suspended visas for Pakistan and four other countries in 2011 over what it said were difficult security conditions there
- Islamabad Chamber of Commerce welcomes lifting of ban, terms it “great opportunity” for Pakistani businesses to expand in Gulf
Pakistan orders uninterrupted electricity during Ramadan pre-dawn, sunset hours
- Power cuts to be shifted outside Sehri and Iftar timings across country
- Directive applies to all distribution companies including Karachi’s K-Electric
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s power ministry has ordered electricity distributors to ensure uninterrupted supply during pre-dawn and sunset meals in the holy month of Ramadan, according to an official directive issued this week, even as the country continues to grapple with chronic shortages and losses in its power sector.
Ramadan, which begins on Thursday in Pakistan, typically sees a sharp spike in household consumption during Sehri (pre-fast meal) and Iftar (meal at sunset), making outages during those hours politically sensitive in a country where electricity shortfalls and scheduled load shedding remain common.
Pakistan’s power sector has struggled for years with circular debt — unpaid bills and subsidies that cascade through the system — as well as electricity theft and distribution losses, forcing utilities to manage supply through rotating outages, especially in high-loss neighborhoods.
“The DISCOs have been directed to strictly avoid unannounced load shedding during the holy month of Ramadan,” a Power Division spokesperson said in a statement.
The latest directive issued on Feb. 17 applies nationwide, including Karachi’s privately run K-Electric utility, and requires adherence to announced load-shedding schedules to minimize disruptions during the month.
Under the standard operating procedures issued by the Ministry of Energy, all distribution companies must establish dedicated control rooms supervised by their chief executives to monitor supply and respond to complaints in real time.
Even in high-loss areas like neighborhoods where bill recovery is weak and outages are more frequent, utilities must maintain supply during Sehri and Iftar, shifting load management to other hours instead.
Authorities said the measures were also intended to prevent further buildup of arrears and system losses by aligning power supply with demand peaks while continuing anti-theft enforcement operations.
Pakistan frequently introduces special power management plans during Ramadan, when public frustration over outages tends to intensify and governments face pressure to ensure uninterrupted electricity for religious routines.
