Dubai – The United Arab Emirates has banned Pakistani visitors from 24 cities, on the charges of obtaining visit visas, and later begging in the country, according to 24NewsHD.TV report. Meanwhile, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson on Monday covered up the claims.
According to Adnan Paracha, spokesperson of Pakistan Overseas Employment Association (POEA), the UAE immigration authorities have increased their restrictions on Pakistani nationals applying for visit visas.
The UAE government already forbade providing visit visas to Pakistani nationals who reside in 22 cities. However, it has now added two additional cities to its list of banned cities. The ban even includes Businessmen.
According to Paracha, the misstatement by the travel agents is the primary cause of this issue. He said that, agents would send the people on visit visa while misleading them that they were being sent on work visa. Later, when these people are unable to find employment, they begin to beg in the streets of UAE and are expelled by the government.
First, 12 Pakistani cities were listed as cities where visitors were not allowed by the UAE’s immigration authorities. The number was then raised to 22, and now that two more locations have been added, the UAE immigration authorities will no longer grant visit visas to Pakistanis who reside in these 24 cities.
The list of Pakistani cities banned by UAE authorities are: Abbottabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, Quetta, Khoshab, Muzaffargarh, Sargodha, Attock, Dera Ismail Khan, Kasur, Kurram Agency, Nawabshah, Sheikhupura, Bajaur Agency, Hangu, Kohat, Larkana, Para Chinar, Skardu, Chakwal, Hunza, Kotli, Mehmand Agency, Sahiwal, and Sukkur.
In August, 80 Pakistanis were deported from the UAE for possessing fake return tickets, and other issues.
The Pakistani mission in Dubai advised the foreign office that these travelers were expelled for a number of reasons and urged the ministry to advise Pakistani travelers who wish to work in the UAE to obtain a suitable work visa.
Paracha suggested that the UAE government should be informed of this situation so that the relevant authorities may take action against the travel agents.
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However, on Monday Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, covered up the claim of Adnan Paracha, and said that the UAE did not ban or blacklist the issuance of visas to Pakistanis belonging to specific cities.
Baloch said, “We have seen the reports and can confirm that no such ban is in place by UAE for issuance of visas to Pakistani citizens”.
