ISLAMABAD: During a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab emirates and the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, and pressed for a “speedy solution” to the problems of Pakistanis living in the Emirates.

The foreign minister’s visit comes at a time when international media has reported that the UAE had stopped issuing new visas to citizens of 13 mostly Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan.

However, Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis, Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, have denied the reports, saying there was “no ban on export of Pakistani workforce.”

The UAE is home to 1.2 million Pakistanis and the second largest host to overseas Pakistani workers and source of foreign remittances, after Saudi Arabia.

“Millions of Pakistanis living in the UAE have been playing a vital role in building and developing the UAE for decades,” Qureshi said in his meeting with the ruler of Dubai.

“The Foreign Minister apprised Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of the difficulties faced by Pakistanis residing in the UAE and stressed the need for a speedy solution,” the foreign office said in a statement.

The two leaders discussed “issues of mutual interest, including bilateral relations and the promotion of bilateral economic cooperation,” the foreign office said.

Qureshi conveyed the best wishes of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Pakistani leadership for the leaders and people of the United Arab Emirates and said Pakistan sought to strengthen “brotherly bilateral relations” through trade and economic cooperation. The two sides also agreed to enhance cooperation in agriculture.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the foreign office said Qureshi would hold discussions with UAE leaders on all areas of mutual interest, including regional and global issues, trade, investment and the welfare of the Pakistani diaspora.

He will also meet members of the Pakistani diaspora and interact with local and international media.