Interior Ministry says Pakistan narrowly escaped a total ban on its passports from UAE and Saudi Arabia
Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri chairs a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights in Islamabad on Thursday, November 27, 2025. Photo: Senate of Pakistan/X
The UAE is processing nearly 500 visas for Pakistani nationals daily under new facilitation reforms, even as Pakistan’s Interior Ministry warned the Senate that the Emirates has stopped issuing visas – except for holders of diplomatic and blue passports.
The ministry highlighted growing concerns over passport misuse, human trafficking and vulnerabilities faced by Pakistanis abroad, while the UAE ambassador presented a more optimistic picture of ongoing travel and visa assistance.
The revelation came during a briefing before the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, during which the Interior Ministry said the UAE had stopped issuing visas to Pakistani nationals, except holders of diplomatic and blue passports.
Additional Home Secretary Salman Chaudhry warned the commission that Pakistan had narrowly escaped a total ban on its passports from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia – a step he said would have been “extremely difficult” to reverse.
Chaudhry briefed the committee, chaired by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, on the scale of the challenges abroad, reporting that 21,647 Pakistanis are currently imprisoned in 61 countries, mostly for minor crimes such as overstaying, identity fraud and banking-related violations.
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He also highlighted that 93 percent of Pakistan’s overseas workforce, or nearly 800,000 people, is employed in the Gulf states, highlighting the economic challenges associated with regional labor mobility.
A significant part of the briefing focused on human trafficking networks operating in several districts of Punjab. These networks reportedly charge between 4.3 and 5 million rupees from young people to send them abroad through illegal and dangerous routes.
Senator Zehri said he was very concerned about the increase in trafficking cases and criticized the virtual absence of awareness campaigns at airports and in major cities.
Another interior secretary further revealed that more than 500,000 Afghan nationals had been living abroad using Pakistani passports, with some involved in criminal activities while posing as Pakistanis. He said NADRA had now fully digitized its citizen database to prevent further misuse.
The committee called for stricter enforcement, better public awareness and coordinated measures to address the multiple risks faced by Pakistani migrant workers and the integrity of their identity documents.
However, contrary to the ministry’s briefing, the new UAE ambassador to Pakistan said the Emirates was processing “nearly 500 visas per day” for Pakistani nationals under new facilitation reforms.
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He shared the update during a meeting in Islamabad with Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, during which both officials reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening strategic and economic ties.
Senator Aurangzeb lauded the UAE’s continued support, highlighting its contributions in trade, investment, remittances, government-to-government financing and assistance in Pakistan’s engagement with international financial institutions.
He said the frequency of high-level exchanges “reflects the closeness of our ties”, adding that Pakistan is now focusing on expanding trade and attracting long-term investments rather than relying on traditional support mechanisms.
The minister highlighted Emirati investments in ports, digital banking, logistics and infrastructure, and encouraged increased participation from UAE sovereign wealth funds, private companies and multinational corporations.
He briefed the ambassador on improving macroeconomic indicators, including stable reserves, lower inflation, stronger monetary outlook and increased remittances – particularly from the UAE – saying Pakistan was pursuing “a growth-oriented agenda centered on private sector-led and investment-led expansion.”
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Ambassador Al Zaabi acknowledged the historic relationship between the two countries and the long-standing contributions of Pakistani professionals to the UAE. Strengthening ties “across strategic, economic and cultural dimensions” will remain a priority during his term, he said.
He reaffirmed the UAE’s interest in expanding bilateral trade, attracting Pakistani technology companies to the Emirates and facilitating more Emirati investments in Pakistan. He highlighted active engagement with companies in the agriculture, infrastructure, mining, ports, financial services and virtual assets sectors.
On visa facilitation, the ambassador said the UAE was now “processing close to 500 visas per day”, adding that online applications, e-visas without passport stamps and new system-to-system integrations with Pakistan were being rolled out to facilitate travel. He said the new visa center in Pakistan would help speed up processing.
Senator Aurangzeb welcomed the update, noting that smoother mobility is key to boosting business-to-business trade, especially as the UAE remains a global hub for investments, trade fairs and technology exhibitions.
The discussion also covered defense cooperation, training exchanges and long-standing military collaboration. Both sides reaffirmed their determination to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, finance, technology, defense and people-to-people ties, agreeing to work closely to unlock the “immense potential” of the bilateral relationship.
