Pakistan temporarily suspends visa issuance to Afghan nationals in European countries

n this picture taken on February 2, 2023, Afghan men stand in queue inside a fenced corridor as they wait to cross into Pakistan at the zero point Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, in Nangarhar province. (AFP/File)
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Updated 14 February 2023
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Pakistan temporarily suspends visa issuance to Afghan nationals in European countries

  • The decision was taken after 1,600 visas were issued to Afghan nationals in Sweden who provided fake residence permits
  • The foreign office confirms the instruction was given after ‘glitches’ were identified in the system which were being resolved

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office confirmed on Monday it had instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to temporarily stop issuing visas to Afghan nationals after identifying some “glitches” in the system.

According to some reports, the decision was taken after the Pakistan embassy in Sweden issued 1,600 visas to people of Afghan origin who provided fake Swedish residence permits with their applications.

Pakistan currently hosts more than 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees, though their actual number is believed to be far greater than that.

Many Afghan nationals also settled down in different European countries after the Taliban seized control of Kabul in August 2021. Some of them continue to visit Pakistan to meet their relatives.

“We have imposed a temporary freeze on the issuance of certain visas in some countries after identifying some glitches in the system,” Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told Arab News.

“These issues are being resolved,” she added.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry circulated a directive through email, a copy of which is seen by Arab News, instructing all its embassies in Europe to suspend all visa categories for Afghan nationals until further notice.

The letter was issued on February 8 and was addressed to the diplomatic missions in London, Glasgow, Bradford, Manchester, Birmingham, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Berlin, Frankfort, Lisbon, Athens, Vienna, Berne, Copenhagen, Oslo, Brussels, and the Hague.

Pakistan’s foreign office did not respond to questions regarding the 1,600 Afghan nationals who received visas on fake documents.

 


Pakistan says repaid over $13.06 billion domestic debt early in last 14 months

Updated 29 January 2026
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Pakistan says repaid over $13.06 billion domestic debt early in last 14 months

  • Finance adviser says repayment shows “decisive shift” toward fiscal discipline, responsible economic management
  • Says Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over $286.6 billion in June 2025 to $284.7 billion in November 2025

KARACHI: Pakistan has repaid Rs3,650 billion [$13.06 billion] in domestic debt before time during the last 14 months, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said on Thursday, adding that the achievement reflected a shift in the country’s approach toward fiscal discipline. 

Schehzad said Pakistan has been repaying its debt before maturity, owed to the market as well as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), since December 2024. He said the government had repaid the central bank Rs300 billion [$1.08 billion] in its latest repayment on Thursday. 

“This landmark achievement reflects a decisive shift toward fiscal discipline, credibility, and responsible economic management,” Schehzad wrote on social media platform X. 

Giving a breakdown of what he said was Pakistan’s “early debt retirement journey,” the finance official said Pakistan retired Rs1,000 billion [$3.576 billion] in December 2024, Rs500 billion [$1.78 billion] in June 2025, Rs1,160 billion [$4.150 billion] in August 2025, Rs200 billion [$715 million] in October 2025, Rs494 billion [$1.76 billion] in December 2025 and $1.08 billion in January 2026. 

He said with the latest debt repaid today, the July to January period of fiscal year 2026 alone recorded Rs2,150 billion [$7.69 billion] in early retirement, which was 44 percent higher than the debt retired in FY25.

He said of the total early repayments, the government has repaid 65 percent of the central bank’s debt, 30 percent of the treasury bills debt and five percent of the Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) debt. 

The official said Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over Rs 80.5 trillion [$286.6 billion] in June 2025 to Rs80 trillion [$284.7 billion] in November 2025. 

“Crucially, Pakistan’s debt-to-GDP ratio, around 74 percent in FY22, has declined to around 70 percent, reflecting a broader strengthening of fiscal fundamentals alongside disciplined debt management,” Schehzad wrote. 

Pakistan’s government has said the country’s fragile economy is on an upward trajectory. The South Asian country has been trying to navigate a tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.