Senate warned of halted visas, UAE says nearly 500 visas for Pakistanis processed daily

UAE ambassador says measures such as online applications, new visa centre to speed up travel for Pakistani nationals

The United Arab Emirates is processing nearly 500 visas daily for Pakistani nationals under new facilitation reforms, even as Pakistan’s interior ministry warned the Senate that the Emirates had stopped issuing visas, except for diplomatic and blue-passport holders.

The ministry highlighted growing concerns over passport misuse, human trafficking, and the vulnerabilities facing overseas Pakistanis, while the UAE ambassador presented a more optimistic picture of ongoing travel and visa support.

The briefing, chaired by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, warned that Pakistan had narrowly avoided a complete international ban on its passports - a step officials said would have been “extremely difficult” to reverse.

Officials informed the committee that 21,647 Pakistanis are currently imprisoned across 61 countries, mostly for minor offences such as overstaying visas, identity fraud, and bank-related violations. The Foreign Office said Pakistani embassies hold data for 90 percent of these detainees, and noted that several countries release minor offenders during Eid.

The ministry also highlighted that 93 per cent of Pakistan’s overseas workforce, nearly 800,000 people, is employed in Gulf states, underscoring the economic stakes tied to regional labour mobility.

A significant portion of the briefing focused on human trafficking networks operating from multiple districts in Punjab, which reportedly charge young people between Rs4.3 million and Rs5 million to send them abroad through illegal and dangerous routes.

Senator Zehri expressed serious concern over the surge in trafficking cases and criticised the near absence of awareness campaigns at airports and in major cities.

Officials further disclosed that more than 500,000 Afghan nationals had lived abroad using Pakistani passports, with some involved in criminal activities while posing as Pakistanis. They said NADRA has now fully digitised citizen records to prevent further misuse.

The committee called for stronger enforcement, improved public awareness, and coordinated measures to address the layered risks facing Pakistan’s migrant workers and the integrity of its identity documents.

UAE ambassador to Pakistan meets finance minister

The UAE Ambassador Salem M Salem Al Bawab Al Zaabi to Pakistan informed Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb that the Emirates is processing nearly 500 visas daily for Pakistani nationals under new facilitation reforms.

During their meeting in Islamabad, both officials reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening strategic and economic ties. Ambassador Al Zaabi highlighted the historic relationship between the two countries and praised the contributions of Pakistani professionals in the UAE.

Aurangzeb welcomed the update, stressing that smoother mobility is critical for business-to-business exchanges and attracting long-term investment. He highlighted Emirati contributions in trade, infrastructure, ports, digital banking, logistics, and government-to-government financing, and encouraged further participation from UAE sovereign wealth funds, private companies, and multinational firms.

Ambassador Al Zaabi emphasised the UAE’s continued interest in expanding bilateral trade, attracting Pakistani technology firms, and facilitating greater investment in Pakistan. He noted active collaboration across agriculture, infrastructure, mining, ports, financial services, and virtual assets.

On visa facilitation, the ambassador said new measures, including online applications, e-visas without passport stamping, system-to-system integrations with Pakistan, and a new visa centre in Pakistan, would accelerate processing and ease travel for Pakistani nationals.

Aurangzeb added that the frequency of high-level exchanges reflects the closeness of ties and Pakistan’s focus on a growth-oriented agenda centred on private-sector-led, investment-driven expansion. He briefed the ambassador on improving macroeconomic indicators, including stable reserves, easing inflation, a stronger currency outlook, and rising remittances, particularly from the UAE.

Both sides reiterated their shared goal of strengthening strategic, economic, and cultural cooperation, reinforcing the UAE’s role as a key partner in Pakistan’s trade and investment growth.