We introduce innovative solutions to enhance community welfare, says Consul General
The Pakistani Consulate in Dubai has been actively working to enhance the welfare of the Pakistani community despite multiple challenges including limited human resources and finances, its top official says.
Hussain Muhammad, Consul-General of Pakistan Consulate Dubai, said his diplomatic mission adopts a multifaceted approach to cater to the issues of around 1.5 million Pakistanis residing in Dubai and Northern Emirates.
'We've been actively working to enhance the welfare of the Pakistani community residing in Dubai and the Northern Emirates through new initiatives. The Consulate is committed to providing the best possible support and continuously seeks innovative solutions to address the issues of the community,' Muhammad told Khaleej Times during an interview.
Muhammad, a career diplomat who joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 2006, assumed the charge as Consul-General of Pakistan to Dubai and Northern Emirates in 2023. He had earlier served the consulate from 2011 to 2015.
The UAE is home to the second largest diaspora of Pakistanis and also a major trading partner of the country. Currently, there are 1.7 million Pakistanis residing in the UAE, with a majority of them in Dubai and Northern Emirates.
Excerpts from the interview:
Pakistani Community has increased manifold in the past few years, but the facilities at the Consulate remained the same. What is your strategy to handle additional pressure and facilitate Pakistani nationals at the Consulate?
Since 2022, the Pakistani Community in Dubai in particular, and in UAE in general, has increased by around half a million individuals. The Consulate General is using technology to tackle the additional pressure of individuals visiting the Consulate for various consular services. The Consulate has started One Window Operation in Machine Readable Passport (MRP) Section. This improvement has reduced the waiting time of the applicant up to four times. No applicant has to wait for more than one hour to get complete services.
Similarly, besides starting one window operation, the services in NADRA section have been streamlined through appointment system. The applicant can book appointment by visiting our website and visit for NADRA services on the specified date and time. These improvements ensured that additional number of applicant do not hamper the performance of the Consulate.
In addition to the recent changes in the system, there is an option that applicants may apply for passport/NICOP renewal through using smart phone/computers without coming to the Consulate.
What are the major steps taken by the Consulate recently for the welfare of Pakistani Community in Dubai and Northern Emirates?
The consulate has been actively working to enhance the welfare of the Pakistani community residing in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Recognising the challenges faced by expatriates, the consulate has undertaken several initiatives to provide support, assistance, and improve their quality of life.
a) The consulate organises and participates frequently in community outreach programmes to engage with the Pakistani diaspora, address their concerns, and provide necessary assistance. These programmes include monthly e-Khuli Kacheri, meeting with prominent members of the community and other events arranged by Pakistani community members. The consulate has also created an awareness video for the consumption of Pakistani diaspora in UAE deliberating upon the rights and responsibilities of community members in UAE as per local laws. The video has been viewed over 100,000 times on social media platforms.
b) Our community members face major issues in navigating through the legal system of UAE. The mission has started focusing on provision of legal advice to the applicants as the hiring of lawyer and other legal services are extremely expensive in UAE. The legal section has provided legal advice to more than 300 applicants in last year which is greatly appreciated by the community members.
c) Another important aspect which needed facilitation was the process for issuance of death NOCs. Keeping in view the urgency of death NOC, our welfare section staff is available 24/7 for issuance of death NOC. During the last year, the mission has issued 913 death NOCs and provided the coffin/embalming charges in deserving cases.
d) The welfare section visits the prisons in Dubai and Northern Emirates every week on designated days and get consular access as per the requirements of the family members.
e) The mission has engaged affluent members of the Pakistani community to bear educational fee of the needy children of the diaspora. Similarly, the mission has engaged the donors for provision of air tickets to the prisoners ready for deportation to Pakistan and more than 250 air tickets are provided. The Mission also remain in touch with the hospitals and based on the recommendations of the hospital authorities, we have repatriated several patients to Pakistan through stretcher/ wheel chair facility during last year.
What are the major challenges faced by the Consulate while addressing issues of Pakistani Community?
The consulate faces several significant challenges while addressing the issues of the Pakistani community.
a) One of the primary difficulties is the huge size of the community (around 1.5 million in Dubai and Northern Emirates), which includes individuals from various socio-economic backgrounds, each with unique needs and concerns. This diversity requires the Consulate to adopt a multifaceted approach to cater to everyone effectively with limited human resource and financial resources.
b) Additionally, the legal complexities and the high cost of legal services in the UAE. make it difficult for many expatriates to navigate their issues in the matters pertaining to Prosecution and the Courts, necessitating the Consulate to step in frequently with legal advice and support.
c) Most of the Pakistani workers are not aware of their rights as per UAE local laws. Despite our repeated efforts to raise the awareness, the community members lands in trouble due to lack of awareness.
d) In a nutshell, limited resources, funding and lack of awareness further constrain the Consulate's ability to address all the community needs promptly. Despite these challenges, the Consulate remains committed to providing the best possible support and continuously seeks innovative solutions to overcome these obstacles.
How do you see role of Commercial Section to promote UAE-Pakistan economic ties and facilitates Pakistani businessmen to connect with their counterparts in the emirate?
The UAE is transforming into a digital economy, and there is a potential of greater trade between Pakistan and the emirate. Pakistani companies regularly participate in several trade fairs in diverse sectors such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture/food, IT and confectionary. All these sectors provide opportunity for greater trade.
Government of Pakistan supports participation of Pakistani firms in several trade fairs in UAE. The Trade Wing of the Consulate in coordination with the Ministry of Commerce extends full facilitation to exporting firms and their participation in these trade shows.
Moreover, several investment conferences have been organised by the Government of Pakistan in UAE in order to attract investments in Pakistan.
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