The United Arab Emirates has effectively stopped issuing visas to Pakistani citizens, senior interior ministry officials revealed to a Senate committee on Thursday. Officials confirmed Pakistan narrowly avoided a complete passport ban from both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry told the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights that the UAE currently only issues visas to Pakistani citizens holding blue official passports or diplomatic passports. The standard green passport for ordinary citizens no longer receives visa approvals.
Chaudhry revealed this development follows recent mass deportations of Pakistanis from Saudi Arabia due to various legal and immigration violations.
Read: UAE Strongly Refutes Visa Ban Rumors for Pakistanis
The official identified document fraud as a primary concern, noting that many Afghan citizens have obtained Pakistani passports through systemic corruption. “We also hold responsibility in this,” Chaudhry admitted, acknowledging internal corruption enabling passport irregularities.
To combat this, the interior ministry has digitally obtained records of 180-200 million citizens to prevent future misuse. “Records of all citizens are available, and verification is done immediately,” he added.
The briefing also exposed extensive human trafficking operations. Organised networks operate from several Pakistani cities, including Gujarat, Wazirabad, Sheikhupura, and Lahore, with collaborators active in Dubai and across the Middle East.
Traffickers lure young people with promises of European migration, charging up to Rs5 million per person and pushing them toward dangerous illegal routes that sometimes prove fatal.
Regarding Pakistanis imprisoned abroad, officials noted most face minor charges but emphasised that providing legal assistance remains challenging due to varying international laws.
