UAE freezes visas for Pakistanis; Islamabad says full passport ban was ‘on the table’

A blue passport is reserved for government officials, while ordinary Pakistanis travel on a green passport.

Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry, briefing the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights, said both Saudi Arabia and the UAE had “stopped short of imposing a ban on the Pakistani passport”.

The UAE has stopped issuing visas to most Pakistani citizens and nearly imposed a ban on Pakistani passports, a senior Interior Ministry official told a Senate panel on Thursday, according to Dawn.

He said that at present, the UAE is only issuing visas to blue and diplomatic passport holders. A blue passport is reserved for government officials, while ordinary Pakistanis travel on a green passport.

Committee chairperson Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri confirmed the ministry’s remarks, saying the restrictions were linked to concerns about Pakistani travellers “getting involved in criminal activities” in the UAE. She added that very few visas had been issued in recent months, and only “after much difficulty”.

UAE highlights visa ‘facilitation reforms’

The revelation comes on the same day UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Salem M. Salem Al Bawab Al Zaabi briefed Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on new visa facilitation measures for Pakistanis.

According to the Finance Ministry, the ambassador outlined reforms such as online applications, e-visas without passport stamping, faster digital linkages, and processing at the newly launched UAE Visa Centre, which is handling around 500 applications daily.

Pakistan and the UAE share deep diplomatic and economic ties, with the Gulf nation hosting a large Pakistani workforce and serving as a major source of remittances.

Story continues below this ad

Long-standing concerns over visa misuse

Pakistani travellers have faced repeated visa restrictions this year. In early July, a rise in visa rejections prompted Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to raise the issue with UAE authorities. UAE Lt Gen Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan had then assured Pakistan of support in speeding up visa approvals.

Earlier, in April, the UAE ambassador had announced that visa issues had been resolved and Pakistanis would be eligible for a five-year visa.

However, the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis was told in January that some UAE visas had been “unofficially closed”, partly due to concerns that Pakistanis travelling on visit visas were engaging in begging rather than legitimate work.

While work visas reportedly remain unaffected, uncertainty continues around visit visa issuance for ordinary Pakistani passport holders.

(With Inputs from PTI)