ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Ataullah Tarar on Tuesday announced that Pakistan’s new policy that exempts 126 countries from visa fees and grants on-arrival visas for Gulf country residents will take effect midnight on August 14, making it easier for tourists and businessmen to visit the South Asian nation.
Pakistan, which has been facing a prolonged economic crisis that has forced it to seek financial assistance from friendly nations and global lenders like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has increasingly sought to introduce policies for the ease of doing business for foreign investors.
The South Asian country last month announced it had made changes to its visa policy by increasing the number of countries exempt from visa fees to 126. The decision came in the wake of Pakistan’s efforts to forge deeper economic and trade ties with regional allies to stabilize a fragile economy.
“Pakistan’s visa policy will be changing tonight at midnight. The visa fees of 126 countries have been abolished and the visa process has become easier,” Tarar said at a press conference on Tuesday. “Gulf country residents can avail a visa on arrival.”
The Gulf countries include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Explaining the process in detail, the information minister said people visiting from any of the 126 countries will merely have to fill out a one-page form consisting of 30 questions within a ten-minute process.
Visa would be issued directly on the phone through which the form was filled and would be valid for three months apart from also being renewable, he added.
Tarar said the new visa policy also included religious tourism due to which Sikh pilgrims could easily visit the South Asian country for their religious festivals.
In a cabinet meeting in last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had pointed out that the new visa policy would lead to a loss of a “few million dollars,” but it would be instrumental in promoting investment in the country.
Sharif had noted that the policy would lead to a significant increase in large-scale economic activities in Pakistan and further boost the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
Pakistan announces visa policy exempting fees for 126 countries, offering on-arrival permits
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Pakistan announces visa policy exempting fees for 126 countries, offering on-arrival permits
- Pakistan last month exempted 126 countries from visa fees, announced on-arrival visa service for Gulf residents
- Minister says a three-month visa will be directly issued by phone after filling out form comprising 30 questions
Pakistani ministry signs agreement with National Testing Service for selection of Hajj staff
- Pakistan selects hundreds of assistants via competitive process every year to facilitate local pilgrims
- Pakistan has received 82,000 applications for next year’s Hajj pilgrimage under government scheme
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani ministry of religious affairs has signed an agreement with the National Testing Service, which will hold exams for the selection of supervisors and assistants for next year’s Hajj pilgrimage, the ministry said on Thursday.
Pakistan selects hundreds of assistants and doctors from federal and provincial government departments via a competitive process every year to facilitate local pilgrims in performing the rituals of the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan had received 82,000 applications for next year’s Hajj under the government scheme by Tuesday when the submission deadline ended. Saudi Arabia has allotted Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims, to be divided equally between government and private schemes. The government extended the deadline for applications twice this month, first from Dec. 3 to Dec. 10, and then to Dec. 17, as it aims to fill over 89,000 seats under the federal government quota.
“Like last year, this year too, the selection of Hajj Assistants who will be sent on Hajj duty will be done through National Testing Service,” the religious affairs ministry said.
“According to the agreement, staff will be appointed on the basis of merit as per the federal and provincial quotas, in which a specific ratio of new and experienced assistants has been kept … Government employees and officers of Scale 7 to 18 will be eligible to apply.”
The ministry said it would “soon” announce the selection through an advertisement.
The ministry of religious affairs trains Hajj assistants and pilgrims every year ahead of their departure to Saudi Arabia to ensure all aspects of the pilgrimage process, including food, transportation, and accommodation in Makkah and Madinah, run smoothly.
Pakistan last year sent 550 Hajj assistants and 400 doctors and paramedical staff to Saudi Arabia to facilitate pilgrims.
Pakistani president calls for greater parliamentary cooperation with Saudi Arabia
- Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council is on three-day visit to Pakistan
- Council is legislative body that advises the king and his regulatory authority
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday met Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council, and discussed enhancing parliamentary cooperation and high-level exchanges with the Kingdom.
The chairman of the Shura Council, a legislative body that advises the king and his regulatory authority, is on a three-day visit to Pakistan, during which he has met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and others.
“President Zardari has emphasized the need for enhancing parliamentary cooperation and high-level exchanges with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to deepen the fraternal relationship between Pakistan and KSA,” the president’s office said in a press release on Thursday after he met the visiting dignitary.
“He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening economic, political, and cultural ties with KSA for the mutual benefit of both nations … both sides emphasized the need to transform the longstanding bilateral relationship into a more robust and strategic partnership.”
Zardari also expressed concern over the conflict in the Middle East, saying Pakistan stood in solidarity with “brothers and sisters” from Palestine, Lebanon and Syria.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are longtime allies, with Islamabad seeking closer economic, defense and security ties with the Kingdom, host to nearly 2.5 million Pakistani expatriates and the largest source of remittances for the cash-strapped South Asian nation.
Pakistan says five killed, no information on missing as search ends in Greece boat tragedy
- Report in Geo News says at least 40 Pakistanis killed in migrant boat tragedy off Greek island of Gavdos last week
- Six cases filed against suspects accused of facilitating transport of victims from Punjab to Libya where they boarded boats
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s mission in Greece said on Thursday five Pakistanis had been killed in a migrant boat tragedy off the Greek island of Gavdos last week but it had “no concrete information” on how many of its nationals were missing.
The latest incident of the boat capsizing highlights the perilous journeys many migrants undertake due to conflicts and lack of economic opportunities in their home countries.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel capsized and sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek coastal town of Pylos. It was one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.
A report in Pakistan’s Geo News on Thursday said at least 40 Pakistanis had been killed in the latest tragedy, quoting the embassy in Athens.
“So far, we have information of five dead Pakistanis and another 47 who have been rescued. No concrete information of missing persons is with us, and this is the final information available at this time,” an official at Pakistan’s mission in Greece told Arab News over the telephone, declining to be named.
“We are in contact with the authorities who have concluded their special search operation.”
The official added that regular patrolling would continue, and Greek authorities would inform the mission if any new information became available. He declined to comment on the Geo News report and referred Arab News to the foreign office.
Speaking to Arab News, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the government had already released death toll figures and had no further information.
“We cannot comment on people’s statements or claims regarding how many Pakistanis were on board until we receive evidence from the investigation,” she said in response to a question about the Geo News report that 40 Pakistanis were feared dead. “It is difficult to verify the claimed figure, as there was no official record of their travel.”
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered strict measures to combat human trafficking and demanded a detailed report on human trafficking incidents involving Pakistani citizens this year.
Separately, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has filed six cases against suspects accused of facilitating the transport of victims from Punjab to Libya, where they were subsequently sent on boats to Greece.
Greece was a favored gateway to the European Union for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia in 2015-2016, when nearly 1 million people landed on its islands, mostly via inflatable dinghies.
Incidents with migrant boats and shipwrecks off Crete and its tiny neighbor Gavdos, which are relatively isolated in the central Mediterranean, have increased over the past year.
Pakistan calls for transport connectivity, trade corridors between D-8 developing nations
- PM Sharif is in Cairo to attend Eleventh Summit of D-8 countries, hold bilateral meetings with world leaders on forum’s sidelines
- Pakistani PM will also and attend a special meeting on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East with a focus on Palestine and Lebanon
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday called for better transport connectivity and trade corridors between member states from the D-8 developing group of nations to boost regional trade and economic cooperation.
Sharif arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to lead the Pakistan delegation at the Eleventh Summit of D-8 countries, hold bilateral discussions with multiple world leaders on the sidelines of the forum and attend a special meeting on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with a focus on Gaza and Lebanon.
The D-8 grouping promotes economic and development cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Türkiye. Key areas of cooperation are agriculture, trade, transportation, industry, energy and tourism.
The bloc’s latest summit is themed “Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow’s Economy.”
“Connectivity is a force multiplier and is rightly hailed as a vehicle for peace and prosperity,” Sharif said as he addressed the summit. “We need to explore the possibilities of developing and enhancing transport connectivity among D-8 member states for building efficient intra-trade corridors and reliable supply chains.
In this regard, the Pakistan, Iran and Turkiye corridor is an excellent project for very efficient connectivity.”
The Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul Road Transport Corridor is a cross-border trade initiative aimed at improving road transport links and providing more efficient movement options for goods between South Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Pakistan naval chief holds defense cooperation, regional security talks during visit to Oman
- Oman is the nearest Arab country to Pakistan, because of which they share a maritime boundary
- Last week, the Pakistan navy conducted joint naval exercises and drills with the Royal Oman ship ‘Alseeb’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani naval chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf is on an official visit to Oman to discuss defense cooperation, smuggling and regional maritime security, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.
Oman is the nearest Arab country to Pakistan, because of which they share a maritime boundary. Pakistan shares a unique ‘blood bond’ with Oman, one third of whose population originates from Pakistan’s Balochistan province, while the southwestern port city of Gwadar, which is 200 nautical miles from Oman, was transferred to Pakistan in 1958, before which it had remained gifted to the Sultan of Oman for 175 years.
“During the meetings, the security situation in the Indian Ocean and joint defense cooperation were discussed,” the military’s media wing said after Ashraf had separate meetings with the minister of the Royal Office of the Sultanate of Oman, and the commanders of the Omani Royal Navy and National Defense College.
“Naval Chief highlighted the role of Pakistan Navy in preventing piracy and smuggling,” the statement said. “Pakistan Navy is a strong supporter of promoting maritime security in collaboration with other regional countries.”
Last week, the Pakistan navy conducted joint naval exercises and drills with Royal Oman ship ‘Alseeb.’ The bilateral naval exercise, “Samar Al-Tayeb,” is conducted regularly between the navies of the two nations.
