UAE opens one of Asia's 'largest' visa centers in Pakistan's Karachi

UAE Minister of Tolerance Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan (4R) and Sindh Governor Imran Ismail (2L) inspect the system of a new visa center in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 28, 2021. (UAE Embassy Islamabad)
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Updated 29 November 2021
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UAE opens one of Asia's 'largest' visa centers in Pakistan's Karachi

  • Visa centre will provide distinguished consular services in line with international standards, says UAE consul-general
  • Emirati Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan inaugurated the centre on Sunday

ISLAMABAD: UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan on Sunday inaugurated a new visa center in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported. 
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and UAE Consul-General in Karachi Dr. Salem Al-Khaddeim Al-Dhanhani attended the inauguration ceremony of the new “modernized” visa center in Pakistan’s largest megapolis and commercial hub. 
Several senior officials of the Sindh government, business persons and media personnel were also present on the occasion. 
Addressing the attendees, Al-Dhanhani commended the “solid historic relations between the UAE and Pakistan since the era of the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan,” the WAM report read. 
“The visa center, one of the largest in Asia, will provide distinguished consular services in line with the latest international standards,” he was quoted as saying. 




UAE Minister of Tolerance Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan (4R) and Sindh Governor Imran Ismail (2L) are cutting a ribbon to inaugurate a new visa center in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 28, 2021. (UAE Embassy Islamabad)

The center comes as part of the framework to provide all administrative services aimed at improving the level of customer service and issuing visas to facilitate the entry of Pakistanis into the UAE through electronic gates at the ports, according to the UAE consul-general. 
More than 1.6 million Pakistani expatriates live in the UAE and work in different public and private sectors, who remit over $4 billion to Pakistan annually. 
With the inauguration of a modernized visa center in Karachi, Pakistan and the UAE have laid “strong foundations of bilateral relations, friendship and cooperation over the years,” Governor Ismail said on Twitter. 

 


Pakistan eyes enhancing mines, minerals cooperation with Saudi Arabia at Future Minerals Forum 2026

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Pakistan eyes enhancing mines, minerals cooperation with Saudi Arabia at Future Minerals Forum 2026

  • Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik meets Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef in Riyadh
  • Saudi minister offers to support Pakistan’s mining industry via Kingdom’s knowledge and expertise, says Pakistan’s petroleum ministry

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik met Saudi Arabia’s minister of industry and mineral resources at the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Riyadh on Monday, the Pakistani petroleum ministry said, during which both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the mines and minerals sector. 

Malik is leading the Pakistani delegation at the FMF 2026 summit in Riyadh. The Jan. 13-15 event is expected to attract around 20,000 representatives from governments, businesses, multilateral and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and trade associations from more than 160 countries, organizers said. At least 13 public and private companies from Pakistan’s mines and mineral sector are participating in the event. 

“The minister held a meeting with Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef, during which both sides agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in the minerals and mining sector,” the Pakistani petroleum ministry said in a statement. 

The ministry said Alkhorayef pointed out “vast opportunities” for cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in the mineral sector, adding that the Kingdom would support the development of Pakistan’s mining industry through its knowledge and technical expertise. 

Malik said fertilizer production and medical devices manufacturing sectors also present important opportunities for joint ventures between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has positioned itself as a leader in the global minerals and energy sectors and accelerated investments in green technologies, sustainable mining practices and international collaborations that are shaping the future of the mines and mineral industry.

Pakistan organized a minerals summit in April 2025 which saw participation from major international companies including the Canada-based Barrick Gold and officials from the US, Saudi Arabia, China, Türkiye, UK, Azerbaijan and other nations. 

Islamabad also plans to organize a Pakistan Mineral Investment Forum this year to attract foreign investment in its mines and minerals sector. Pakistan lies in the middle of the mineral-rich geological zone, called the ‘Tethyan Belt,’ where one of the world’s largest copper-gold mines is currently under development at Reko Diq. 

This mine is expected to start production by 2028.