UAE now offers 5-year visa to Pakistanis
Al Zaabi, accompanied by Consul General Dr Bakheet Ateeq Al-Remeithi, met with Sindh Governor Karmran Tessori at the Governor's House. During the meeting, Al Zaabi invited the governor to visit the Visa Centre at the UAE consulate in Karachi.
In December last year, a Senate panel had been informed that all Pakistani travellers to the UAE were required to undergo police vetting and verification. This development came after UAE authorities increased scrutiny of Pakistani visitors due to concerns over involvement in criminal activities, including begging.
Weeks later, in another meeting on Jan 9, the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development was informed that UAE visas had been "unofficially closed" over concerns that some Pakistanis, after arriving on visit visas, were resorting to begging.
"Visa issues have been resolved, Pakistanis can get a five-year visa," the Governor's House press release quoted Ambassador Al Zaabi as stating during the meeting. It added that the ambassador invited the governor to visit the UAE visa centre in Karachi.
On the occasion, according to the press release, Tessori thanked UAE envoy for his country's investment in the province, especially in Karachi. The ambassador praised the ongoing projects under the governor's initiative at Governor House.
Later, the UAE envoy planted a sapling as part of the tree planting campaign at the Governor's House and hoisted national flags of both the countries. He also recorded his impressions in the visitor's book, the press release concluded.
(WITH INPUT FROM APP)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
8 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Pakistan risks wasting ‘golden opportunity' in US market: FPCCI
Despite securing the lowest tariff rates on exports to the United States in the region, Pakistan risks losing this competitive edge due to high energy costs and production inefficiencies, warned Atif Ikram Sheikh, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). The United States has lowered its reciprocal tariff rate on Pakistani goods to 19%, compared to the 20–25% imposed on regional competitors such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, archrival India faced a 50% tariff after US President Donald Trump issued an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on goods from India on Wednesday, adding to the 25% tariffs already announced. 'The US has imposed the lowest tariff in the region on Pakistani products,' said Atif Ikram Sheikh, urging authorities to 'take full advantage' of this situation, read a statement on Thursday. However, higher production costs in Pakistan, as compared to other countries in the region, can neutralise this benefit, he warned. 'Taxes, high electricity rates and gas prices for the industry are a major obstacle to taking advantage of low tariffs,' said Sheikh, urging the government to take immediate action to resolve these issues and reduce energy prices for the industrial sector. 'A significant increase in exports, especially textiles, to the US is possible amid a reduction in production costs,' he said. The US administration struck a deal with Pakistan, in which Washington would work with Islamabad to develop the South Asian nation's oil reserves. 'We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves,' Trump wrote on social media. Islamabad described the deal as a marker of a broader partnership with Washington. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, who led the final round of talks, said there was a larger economic and strategic agreement. The US is Pakistan's biggest trade partner. 'This golden opportunity should be taken advantage of,' said President FPCCI. He said that investment in the export sector is essential, saying that Pakistan must create a conducive environment for FDI. 'Low tariffs, single-digit interest rates, sustainable policies and long-term planning are the solution to the problems,' he said.
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Auto sector woes: What's good for Australia may not be good for Pakistan
As a lingering post-colonial inferiority complex continues to shape our national thinking, many still look to the West as a shining example – a blueprint for modernity. But what works for their today may not be what Pakistan needs for its tomorrow. As our policy-makers inch closer to opening used car imports and scaling back support for the local industry, decisions that could trigger rapid deindustrialisation and the quiet, seemingly permanent closure of Pakistan's automotive sector, they would do well to pause. On the surface, it may appear that 'even Australia did it.' But scratch deeper, and the differences couldn't be starker. In 2010, Australia had an 80-year-old automobile industry that was producing a around 239,443 vehicles annually to fulfil local demand. Pakistan's auto policy: fueling imports, killing industry But something else happened that year too. The Australian government liberalised the sector by reducing tariffs to just 5%, expecting global efficiency and higher exports. The result: swift deindustrialisation. Multinational brands found it cheaper to shut local operations and import from their foreign plants. By 2017 all local plants had closed. Yet interestingly, global brands like Toyota continued to dominate. It was number one in 2017, and still the market leader in 2024. And the market size? Still hovering around 1.2 million vehicles, 7 years later. The difference? A decade ago, those cars were built by Australians, using locally made components made with cutting-edge technology. Today, they're all imported. If a mature, exporting industry couldn't survive liberalisation, what hope does a nascent Pakistani industry have? But Australia liberalised its auto sector from a position of strength. It was a post-industrial, high-income economy characterised by high-value exports, strong services and mining sectors, and clear alternatives to cushion the shock. Pakistan, by contrast, is still in the early stages of industrial maturity. The direction we're being nudged toward seems driven by abstract ideas of 'efficiency' and 'resource reallocation.' In theory, this sounds great. In practice, it's dangerously vague. Where exactly are these so-called 'more efficient' destinations for capital? Has anyone mapped them? Is the investment already sunk into the automotive sector ready to be reallocated? Have the 2.5 million people directly or indirectly employed in the ecosystem been offered meaningful alternatives? Or are policymakers once again making decisions in haste, without regard for the industrial ecosystem they're about to dismantle? Australia's withdrawal was strategic, a pivot to areas better suited to its demographic and economic structure. But what is Pakistan pivoting to? With a population of 240 million, Pakistan has no shortage of labour or talent. Nor does it benefit from a surplus of high-value service exports. So why spend scarce foreign reserves importing fully built-up vehicles, when it can use that same capital to feed its own manufacturing base, grow the domestic parts industry, and build a more self-reliant, value-adding automotive ecosystem? By 2010, Australia had completed its industrial learning curve. It had built the technical foundations that the automotive value chain naturally fosters – process engineering, supply chain integration, metallurgy, systems design. Pakistan, on the other hand, is still climbing that curve. Shutting it down now would be like dropping out of university before the first exam and calling yourself overqualified. Policy mimicry without context is a shortcut to structural ruin. Are we really choosing our future – or merely imitating someone else's past? It's time we learn to read our own map. The article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Business Recorder or its owners.
Business Recorder
13 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Internet firewall: Govt defends controversial rollout in NA
ISLAMABAD: Amid fierce criticism over the multi-billion-rupee internet firewall installation, the federal government on Wednesday staunchly defended the controversial rollout, insisting it is essential to protect the country's digital infrastructure from escalating cybersecurity threats. In a written response to a question raised in National Assembly by MNA Muhammad Jawed Hanif Khan, the Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, emphasised the firewall's role in protecting citizens' data and complying with legal mandates under Article 19 of the Constitution. 'The internet is central to economic activity in the era of the fourth industrial revolution,' Khawaja said. 'Safeguarding the data of citizens, institutions, and entities is of paramount importance.' The firewall, quietly installed last year, blocks access to websites deemed objectionable under Pakistani law, including content violating morality, national security, or public order. Civil society groups and digital rights advocates have criticised the lack of transparency surrounding the firewall's deployment, warning it represents unprecedented surveillance rather than mere content filtering. Industry insiders say the firewall operates at upstream internet gateways, using deep packet inspection and traffic rerouting to monitor and restrict online content in real time. Users and service providers have noted disruptions, particularly on WhatsApp and Facebook, while IT businesses cite degraded connectivity. Officials describe the firewall as a 'web management upgrade,' but digital rights organisations like Bytes for All view it as a full-scale surveillance apparatus. The country's Internet infrastructure remains underdeveloped compared to regional peers, hampered by weak fibre networks and low broadband penetration. Critics argue the firewall prioritises governmental control over genuine cybersecurity improvements. Khawaja reiterated that the firewall is based on constitutional provisions allowing restrictions on freedom of expression for national security and public order, highlighting the government's commitment to protecting the country's digital space while navigating complex legal and ethical challenges. Separately, the House approved two amendments to criminal law removing the death penalty for tearing a woman's clothes and for contacting hijackers. The amendments, presented by Law Minister Azam Tarar in the National Assembly, are part of the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2025. The first reduces punishment for tearing a woman's clothes, previously punishable by death under Section 354A – a provision introduced during late military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq's regime and criticised for misuse. 'The death penalty for this offence is being removed, and a lesser sentence imposed,' Tarar said. The second amendment abolishes the death penalty under Section 402C for anyone meeting or contacting hijacking suspects. This section was introduced under former president late Pervez Musharraf. The amendments faced opposition from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) MNA Aliya Kamran during the debate; however, the amendments were passed by a majority vote. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
