F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: The UAE’s consul general in Karachi said in comments published on Monday there were no visa restrictions on Pakistanis and the Emirates was providing “100 percent” facilities to nationals of the South Asian country traveling for tourism, business, medical or other reasons.
Ambassador Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi’s comments come on the heels of widespread local media reports of a declining trend in overseas employment for Pakistanis due to their alleged lack of respect for local laws and customs. During a briefing of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis last week, Dr. Arshad Mahmood, secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, said in widely reported comments that 50 percent of the crime rate in the UAE was reportedly attributed to Pakistanis.
Of more than 10 million overseas Pakistanis, over 50 percent live in Gulf countries, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE having been the top destinations for Pakistani laborers for decades. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are also the first and second largest sources of remittances to Pakistan respectively. “We are here to provide services,” Remeithi said in a video published by local media, adding that the consulate had arranged a visit for journalists to a UAE visa center in Karachi.
“And the facilities we are giving our Pakistani brothers and sisters, absolutely 100 percent we explain [the visa process to them] and also give them facilities and there are no restrictions.” However, the consu.