KARACHI: The UAE’s consul general in Karachi said in comments published on Monday there were no visa restrictions on Pakistanis and the Emirates was providing “100 percent” facilities to nationals of the South Asian country traveling for tourism, business, medical or other reasons.
Ambassador Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi’s comments come on the heels of widespread local media reports of a declining trend in overseas employment for Pakistanis due to their alleged lack of respect for local laws and customs. During a briefing of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis last week, Dr. Arshad Mahmood, secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, said in widely reported comments that 50 percent of the crime rate in the UAE was reportedly attributed to Pakistanis.
Of more than 10 million overseas Pakistanis, over 50 percent live in Gulf countries, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE having been the top destinations for Pakistani laborers for decades. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are also the first and second largest sources of remittances to Pakistan respectively.
“We are here to provide services,” Remeithi said in a video published by local media after a visit for the mayor of Sukkur city, Barrister Arslan Sheikh, to a UAE visa center.
“And the facilities we are giving our Pakistani brothers and sisters, absolutely 100 percent we explain [the visa process to them] and also give them facilities and there are no restrictions.”
However, the consul general added that the UAE had a process of ensuring that people were actually traveling for the stated reasons such as tourism, business, or health: “And we fully cooperate and make sure we can give them full facilities.”
He cautioned Pakistani laborers against taking luggage along for other people, as they could end up transporting illegal materials and face problems at UAE airports.
“We give people awareness of what is harmful for them, that they should pack their own luggage, and make sure no one has put anything in your luggage, and which does not create problems for you at Karachi or UAE airports,” Remeithi said.
The consul general said relations between Pakistan and the UAE were more than 50 years old and the Emirates would always be there for the South Asian nation.
“And even more, in a few days we will announce more facilities for the business community on both sides,” he concluded.
Pakistan’s foreign office last week advised its nationals living abroad, especially in the Middle East, to abide by local laws and respect their customs.
“UAE or other countries in the Middle East have their laws with respect to individuals who are foreign expatriates and their participation in political activities,” the foreign office spokesperson said, urging Pakistani citizens to follow their host country’s laws.
Commenting on the Pakistani workforce’s skills, she said they had “positively” contributed to the development of countries in the Middle East where they have lived for decades:
“The host governments are appreciative of Pakistani nationals, of their contribution to their society, and the peaceful and law-abiding nature of Pakistani workers who live in these countries, especially in the Middle East.”
