‘Corona caused ban on UAE visas for Pakistanis’
Pakistan and UAE flags.
ISLAMABAD: The ministry on Sunday said the UAE ban on work and visit visas for Pakistanis was temporary and imposed within the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.
The spokesperson mentioned a press release of the UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which quoted him saying that the ban was of “temporary nature of the recent restrictions imposed on the issuance of visas thanks to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic".
Al Nahyan issued the statement at the conclusion of official visit of secretary of state Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The statement praised bilateral relations and specially mentioned the very fact that Pakistan was the primary country to determine diplomatic ties with the UAE. Qureshi had raised the difficulty of ban on visas with Al Nahyan during a meeting on Thursday.
Al Nahyan also "affirmed the depth of bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, and recalled the keenness of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan on the relations during the first stages of establishment".
The statement also said the minister "affirmed the depth of distinguished relations between the 2 friendly countries and therefore the keenness to reinforce and develop further aspects of joint cooperation across all fields".
He reiterated the UAE’s appreciation of the Pakistani community within the Gulf country, saying quite 1.5 million members of the Pakistani diaspora enjoyed safety and stability in their second country – the UAE.
He also praised their great role and active contribution to the expansion and prosperity of the UAE. Recalling that Pakistan was among the primary countries to determine diplomatic relations with the UAE, Nahyan said the 2 friendly peoples and countries shared strong historical ties that enhanced prospects of their broad cooperation across all fields.
However, in his UAE media briefing on Friday when Qureshi was asked this question, he said the difficulty had been raised in his meetings and it might be resolved soon. Qureshi said he will meet with the UAE intelligence officials while more discussions on the difficulty are going to be held.
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