Big relief for Pakistan! This Muslim country lifts visa ban on Pakistani nationals after 19 years, opening massive job opportunities in oil, healthcare and…
Big relief for Pakistanis: This Muslim country lifts visa ban on Pakistan after 19 years, opening up many job opportunities in oil, healthcare and...
After nearly 19 years, Kuwait has finally lifted the visa ban on citizens from Pakistan, bringing big relief to many who plans to work here for better opportunities. For a long time, Pakistanis were not allowed to apply for visas to Kuwait but now, this decision opens up many job opportunities for them, especially in Kuwait's healthcare, oil, and skilled labor sectors.
This move is also expected to improve relations between the two countries. According to Gulf News, Kuwait is facing a shortage of skilled workers and has started hiring professionals from Pakistan. In fact, the first group of 1,200 nurses from Pakistan has already been sent.
Now that Kuwait has restarted work, family, tourist, and business visas for Pakistanis, citizens in Pakistan can now apply for various visa types, including work, family visit, dependent, tourist, and commercial categories and it will therefore be easier for them to travel, find jobs, or join family members there. Kuwait-Pakistan ties set to improve
Pakistan's Ambassador to Kuwait, Dr. Zafar Iqbal called this decision a major milestone in strengthening relations between the two countries. He said reopening visa services will not only meet Kuwait's demand for workers but also benefit thousands of families in Pakistan.
With the ban lifted, many new job opportunities have opened up for skilled Pakistani workers in Kuwait. This move could also lead to stronger economic cooperation between the two nations. Pakistani businesses, entrepreneurs, and investors will now have better access to Kuwaiti markets. Experts believe this step goes beyond the economy as it also helps connect people from both sides.
Kuwait and Pakistan are currently discussing a new labor agreement (MoU). The aim is to ensure fair and safe working conditions for Pakistani workers in Kuwait. This agreement will offer a better structure for labor migration and is expected to boost trade and investment between the two countries.
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The Print
22 minutes ago
- The Print
What Ram Vilas Paswan did to Lalu in 2005 must haunt Nitish in 2025 as Chirag enters poll fray
The LJP has said that Paswan will contest from a general, not a reserved seat. He is looking to expand his party's support base beyond the six per cent Paswan votebank. But there is more to it than meets the eye. One must go back 20 years to understand why Nitish Kumar would be wary of Paswan's moves in Bihar. So, what is he up to? He was evasive when I asked him a couple of weeks back about the speculation around him contesting the Assembly poll. His party colleagues were thinking that it would bolster the party's prospects, he said. Plausible but not very convincing. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is crowded in Bihar. Given that the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (United) are likely to contest around a hundred seats each, barely 35-40 remaining seats in the 243-member Assembly would be available for the other NDA constituents. This includes Paswan's LJP, Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Paswan would, of course, get a lion's share of these remaining seats, but that's still not big enough for him to harbour large ambitions and enter the poll fray. Why would a Union Cabinet minister contest an Assembly election in which his party is a marginal player and the chief ministerial chair is seemingly out of bounds? Many in Bihar political circles are looking for an answer after food processing industries minister Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) declared on Sunday that he would contest the upcoming Assembly election. It's not casual political bravado, for sure. Look at the way he bounced back from a hopeless political situation after the death of his father, Ram Vilas Paswan, and desertion by his uncle and other party MPs. The 42-year-old leader has a wise head on young shoulders. In the February 2005 Assembly elections, Ram Vilas Paswan ended the Lalu Yadav family's 15-year rule. Three constituents of then ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) contested separately—the LJP, the Congress and Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal. Paswan senior fielded candidates against the RJD, but not against the Congress. The RJD emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats, the LJP with 29 seats, and the Congress with 10. If they came together, Lalu-Rabri's 15-year reign could have continued with the support of smaller parties. The NDA secured 92 seats. With 122 being the majority mark, Ram Vilas Paswan emerged as the kingmaker. He declared that he would join hands 'neither with the communal BJP nor with the corrupt and casteist RJD'. He said he would support a Muslim chief minister. He knew Lalu wouldn't agree. Ram Vilas forced a fresh election that brought Nitish Kumar as the CM, ending Lalu Yadav's reign. Also read: BJP has a new Muslim strategy up its sleeve. Saugat-e-Modi isn't just about Bihar election What's happening now Cut to 2020. Declaring himself as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hanuman, Chirag Paswan went after Nitish Kumar in the Assembly election, fielding candidates in constituencies where the JD(U) was contesting. Paswan didn't field candidates against the BJP, just as his father had stayed away from constituencies contested by the Congress 20 years ago. His party won only one seat in 2020 but was instrumental in the defeat of the JD(U) candidates in three dozen seats. Nitish Kumar was smarting as the JD(U) ended up with a mere 43 seats and the BJP emerged as the big brother with 74 seats. Nitish managed to become the CM, though. Now, in 2025, Prime Minister Modi's self-proclaimed Hanuman is in his Cabinet at the Centre. Paswan and Kumar are both part of the NDA. He has often praised the CM from public platforms. But that's hardly assuring for Nitish Kumar. Only last week, Paswan shot off a letter to the Bihar CM, targeting the state administration for the gang rape and murder of a nine-year-old Dalit girl in Muzaffarpur. 'This horrific crime is not only the brutal killing of an innocent life but also highlights a deep breakdown in law and order, social consciousness, and the public health system of Bihar,' wrote Chirag Paswan. Nitish Kumar couldn't have expected a more scathing indictment of his administration even from the Opposition. So, what is Chirag Paswan up to? His declaration to contest the election has come ahead of the seat-sharing negotiations. In 2020, the LJP got more votes than the JD(U) in 32 seats. Paswan would obviously stake a claim for these seats and more. Nitish Kumar would find it difficult to assert. His party had a very poor strike rate in 2020; it could win only 43 out of 115 seats that it contested. The BJP did much better—74 out of 110. So, who should give up seats if Chirag's demand has to be accommodated? Nitish Kumar, obviously. It may or may not happen, given Kumar's indispensability for the NDA in this election. But seat-sharing is just the beginning. Think of a scenario when Nitish Kumar ends up with less than 43 MLAs in the 2025 elections, the BJP maintains its 2020 strike rate, and Chirag Paswan's party ends up with 20-odd seats. Like his Late father in 2005, Chirag would emerge as the kingmaker. Goes without saying that the LJP chief would like to end Nitish Kumar's reign, just as his father ended Lalu's. In this hypothetical scenario, Kumar would obviously threaten to return to Lalu's camp if the numbers add up and if Lalu is willing to prop him up as the CM again. There are too many ifs here. And if Lalu Yadav is not willing to oblige Kumar, the BJP, with Paswan's backing, would love to realise its long-cherished dream of having its own CM in Bihar. Let's not overlook the fact that Nitish Kumar of 2025 wouldn't be in a position to keep his flock together if the BJP were to mount an offensive. Most of the top JD(U) leaders have worked very closely with the BJP. What if Chirag Paswan also has the numbers to take the opposition mahagathbandhan's tally to the majority mark? After all, Paswan has maintained a 'brotherly' relationship with Tejashwi, too. One can argue that Paswans are usually antagonistic to the RJD's core votebank, and so, Chirag is a better fit in the NDA. He also has a Cabinet berth at the Centre. But politics is all about possibilities. At least, that's what the BJP interlocutors would tell Nitish Kumar if Chirag happens to be in a kingmaker's role. Think of all these scenarios. You can't blame Bihari politicians if they see Modi's Hanuman's tail on fire as he enters the Bihar poll fray. DK Singh is Political Editor at ThePrint. He tweets @dksingh73. Views are personal. (Edited by Theres Sudeep)
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First Post
33 minutes ago
- First Post
FATF can salvage its counter-terrorism credentials by cracking down on Pakistan
With the second meeting of the FATF scheduled to commence today, countries interested in the fight against terrorism and its financing need to re-evaluate Pakistan's role in failing to crack down on terrorism from its soil read more Should the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) take a sharper and closer look at Pakistan's counter-terrorism reality? With the second meeting of the FATF scheduled to commence on 10 June 2025, like-minded countries invested in the fight against terrorism and its financing need to re-evaluate Pakistan's role in failing to crack down on terrorism from its soil. Pakistan has thrice been listed on FATF's Grey List in the past, from 2008-2010, 2012-2015 and 2018-2022. The third time around, it landed on the list after the motion was initiated by the United States and supported by the United Kingdom, France and Germany due to Pakistan's glaring deficiencies in counter-terrorist financing (CFT). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The recent events around the conduct of Operation Sindoor are a stark reality check on the complicity of the Pakistani state in supporting, funding and participating in terrorism. If the world needed any further proof, Pakistan did not hesitate to provide it in full glare of the world media. Shortly after the successful precision strikes, senior military commanders stood in solidarity at the funeral prayer meeting, led by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist commander Hafiz Abdul Rauf. Pakistani military personnel went a step further by carrying the coffins of terrorists to reinforce their support and backing for UN-proscribed terrorist groups and their leaders. Terrorist leaders from the LeT and JuD have since been seen openly galvanising support for terrorism from Pakistan and collecting funds to provide an impetus to their 'jihad'. The Pakistani 'establishment' and terrorist handlers are confident that, having escaped the FATF clutches, they can continue to support terrorism as a state policy. Pakistan has been at pains to highlight Kashmir as the point of contention with India. On the contrary, it is Pakistan's employment of terrorism as an instrument of hybrid war that should remain the focus of attention of world capitals. And the best way to curb Pakistani adventurism is to retain strict control over the proliferation of terrorism by organisations like the FATF. There is no better way to ensure stability in the region and restrict the export from the terrorism factory of the world, and curbing its funding. The FATF is a 40-member, inter-governmental, multinational body that acts as a 'watchdog' against money laundering and terrorist financing. India is a member of the grouping. The FATF sets standards to fight terrorist finance and, along with its affiliated bodies, evaluates member countries for their compliance with its guidelines. This includes technical compliance, such as the absence of or inadequacy of laws. More importantly, its focus on the effectiveness of implementation highlights weaknesses or, worse, wilful defiance of countries like Pakistan in fighting terrorism. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pakistan's last evaluation by the FATF was done in 2019. Its report was a national embarrassment for the country, at the very least. If Pakistan's evaluation is compared to a student's school report card, then, of the 11 effectiveness parameters, Pakistan failed in 10 and got a compartment in one! The rowdy kid's abysmal report card was not a sign of inability or a lack of resources to study. It came from the confidence to successfully fool not only the class teacher but the entire school faculty. This does not come as a surprise, given the country's record of nurturing and sheltering UN proscribed terrorist groups and their commanders. The evaluation report noted that 'Several UN-listed organisations continue to operate openly in Pakistan, including holding fundraising events.' Pakistan has mastered the art of obfuscating reality and window dressing the true face of its parallel terror economy. The appeasement of major powers by handing over selective terrorist leaders and promising to safeguard economic interests like the CPEC corridor is not a guarantee against the spread of the contagion. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If the FATF does intend to expose Pakistan's age-old strategy of running with the hares and hunting with the hounds, then its record of fighting terrorism deserves closer scrutiny. Member countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany that have been victims of Pakistan's terror factories should support India's attempt at stabilising the region by curbing the funding of terrorism in Pakistan. The international community must realise that the Pakistani establishment's repeated claims of being a victim of terrorism are inherently flawed. It is not the West that is responsible for Pakistan's terror woes, unlike Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's repeated assertions. It is Pakistan's strategy of promoting extremist thought and sowing jihadi ideology that is hollowing its social fabric. Pakistan has been fooling the world by selectively fighting terrorism and equally selectively sharing figures of terrorists prosecuted and acted against. If this continues, little change can be expected. It is time to reintroduce the motion in the FATF to at least place Pakistan on the Grey List. This is despite the reality of mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the blackest of them all? Pakistan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Col Vivek Chadha (Retd) is a Senior Fellow at Manohar Parrikar IDSA. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
Hans India
33 minutes ago
- Hans India
India's defence exports surged by 1,100 pc in last 10 years: FM Nirmala Sitharaman
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has transformed into an emerging defence exporter, strengthening national security and becoming a trusted partner in global peace. 'India's defence sector has undergone a major transformation in the last decade. India's defence exports have grown by over 1,100% in the last decade from ₹1,941 crore in 2014 to an all-time high of ₹23,662 crore in 2024. The country now exports military hardware to over 100 countries,' the Finance Minister said in a statement on X. She underscored that 75 per cent of the defence capital acquisition budget has been earmarked for domestic production in the financial year 2025-26. The Finance Minister further pointed out that over 5,000 items have been added to the defence indigenisation lists as part of the government's Aatmanirbharta campaign. India's defence production, which was only Rs 43,000 crore 10 to 11 years ago, has now crossed a record figure of Rs 1,46,000 crore, with the private sector's contribution of over Rs 32,000 crore. The government's Make-in-India campaign has turned out to be crucial for security, with the use of indigenous systems during Operation Sindoor proving that India has the power to penetrate any armour of the enemy. FM Sitharaman also highlighted the national security and foreign policy achievements of the Modi government. She mentioned the success of Operation Sindoor, in which over 100 terrorists were killed in the missile attacks on nine terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Among the foreign policy initiatives undertaken for the security of Indian nationals, the Finance Minister has listed the evacuation of over 22,500 Indians from Ukraine after the launch of Russia's military operation, while another 3,000 Indians were brought back home from conflict-torn Sudan. Sitharaman has also highlighted India's role as a vaccine supplier to the world during the devastating Covid-19 outbreak. The country supplied over 30 crore vaccine doses to more than 100 countries to contain the spread of the deadly disease, she added.
