Pakistan faces UAE visa curbs over crime, begging and misuse of visit visas | What we know

Representational Image

The United Arab Emirates has reportedly stopped issuing most types of visas to Pakistani nationals amid growing concerns that some visitors are travelling to the Gulf country and getting involved in criminal activities. The revelation was made by Pakistan’s Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry during a meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights.

According to reports by Dawn, Chaudhry told the committee that Saudi Arabia and the UAE had “stopped short of imposing a ban on the Pakistani passport”, but warned that any formal ban in the future would be extremely difficult to reverse. He added that at present, the UAE is issuing visas only to holders of blue and diplomatic passports.

Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, who chairs the committee, also confirmed the development. She said the restriction was linked to concerns about Pakistani nationals travelling to the UAE and “getting involved in criminal activities”.

Concerns over deportations and minor offences

During the session, Chaudhry revealed that a large number of Pakistanis have been deported from Saudi Arabia due to immigration and legal violations. He also informed the panel that the interior ministry had digitally secured the data of between 180 million and 200 million citizens to prevent misuse of passports, as reported by Geo News.

“Most of the Pakistanis arrested abroad are involved in minor crimes,” Chaudhry said. He noted that hundreds of Pakistanis leave the country through unsafe and illegal routes every year, with some losing their lives along the way.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have repeatedly flagged concerns over Pakistani citizens being linked to street crime, drug networks, visa overstays and organised begging rings. Officials also highlighted that some individuals travelling on visit visas, rather than work permits, end up engaging in illegal activities.

UAE raised concerns over begging and visa misuse

Overseas Employment Promoter Aisam Baig said the UAE government had reservations about Pakistanis entering on tourist visas and then resorting to begging.

He said the authorities believe Pakistanis on “visit visas, not work visas”, are contributing to the problem. In response to diplomatic concerns, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had earlier raised the issue with his UAE counterpart after several visa applications were rejected.

Dubai attack adds to negative image

The situation worsened following a violent incident in Dubai where two Indian nationals were killed and another injured in an attack allegedly carried out by a Pakistani citizen. The accused reportedly shouted religious slogans during the attack at a bakery.

One of the victims was identified as Ashtapu Premsagar, aged 35, from Telangana’s Nirmal district. The second victim was Srinivas from Nizamabad district, confirmed by Union minister G Kishan Reddy. The injured man, Sagar, is currently undergoing treatment in hospital, his wife said.

Pakistan passport image suffers further blow

These developments have further damaged the global reputation of Pakistan’s passport. In the Henley Passport Index 2025, Pakistan ranked as the fourth weakest passport in the world, placed at 103. It ranked below Somalia, Bangladesh and North Korea.

With rising concerns from Middle Eastern nations, Pakistani officials now face growing pressure to improve screening processes and crack down on illegal migration and criminal activities carried out by their nationals abroad.