In a high level diplomatic meeting with the UAE officials on Wednesday, the issue of delay in visa issuance for Pakistani nationals was taken into consideration by the UAE ambassador.
According to a report by The News, the UAE ambassador assured expedition of visa processing for Pakistani applicants. The matter was discussed when UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Al Zaabi met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaaq Dar at the Foreign Minister’s office.
The Ministry stated that the two officials also discussed ways to strengthen ties and collaborations between the two countries. The foreign office briefed after the meeting that the Foreign Minister highlighted the issue of delayed visa applications for Pakistani nationals. The UAE ambassador explained the steps taken to streamline the visa processing in view of the changing demand for human resources in the UAE.
Recently a large number of visa applications for the UAE had been either delayed extensively or rejected outright, but there were no comments on the issue from the Foreign Office. In the weekly media briefings at the Foreign Office, media had raised questions regarding rejection and delay of visa applications and stricter controls put in place by the UAE government for the Pakistani applicants. However, the office rejected these claims stating the granting visa is a sovereign right of the country concerned.
Other than that, the foreign office did not state that the issue regarding Pakistani people in UAE jails was also raised before the Ambassador. Reportedly, some 5000 Pakistanis are jailed in the UAE for involvement in various illegal activities.
In other news, the UK High Commissioner also called on the Foreign Minister and discussed bilateral relations between the two countries.