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The Pakistani expatriate community in the UAE is quite significant. With a population of around 1.7 million, they form the second-largest expatriate group in the UAE, making up about 12.5% of the total population. The majority of Pakistanis reside in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Al Ain.
There have been reports of Gulf nations, including the UAE, expressing concerns about the behaviour of some Pakistani expatriates, particularly those involved in begging. This issue has been raised in various forums, and it has been noted that a significant number of beggars arrested in Gulf countries are Pakistani nationals. These concerns have led to discussions about stricter visa regulations and measures to address the problem
Every year, over 1.5 million Pakistanis visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It's a favourite spot for business, tourism, and family trips. But in late 2022, the UAE suddenly banned visas for Pakistani citizens. The UAE has introduced various changes to its visa policies to enhance security and streamline immigration processes. Although, there wasn't any official confirmation that these measures are specifically targeting Pakistanis, it's possible that the UAE has implemented stricter visa policies due to concerns about misuse or overstaying by Pakistani nationals.
There have been instances where Pakistani nationals in the UAE have been involved in various malpractices. These include visa misuse, fraudulent activities by travel agents, and some cases of begging. The UAE has taken measures to address these issues, including stricter visa regulations and monitoring of expatriates' activities. The UAE has imposed visa restrictions on certain Pakistani cities due to issues like visa misuse and fraudulent practices by travel agents. The UAE has blacklisted 24 Pakistani cities from obtaining visit visas, citing misrepresentation by agents who sent people on visit visas but told them they were being sent on work visas. The cities on the blacklist include Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan, Kurram Agency, Khoshab, Para Chinar, Sheikhupura, Abbottabad, Kasur, Larkana, Muzaffargarh, Nawabshah, Quetta, Sargodha, Attock, Chakwal, Bajaur Agency, Hangu, Kohat, Mohmand Agency, Sukkur, Skardu, and others.
There have been reports of PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) supporters staging protests in the UAE. These protests are part of a broader movement against the ouster of Imran Khan as Prime Minister of Pakistan. Demonstrations have taken place in various cities, including Dubai, where PTI supporters have gathered to express their discontent. The UAE has generally maintained a strict stance on public protests, including those by PTI supporters. The UAE is known for its zero-tolerance policy towards public demonstrations and political activities that could disrupt public order. The UAE authorities have taken measures to ensure that such activities by Pakistani political supporters, regardless of their political affiliation, do not escalate, including monitoring and controlling gatherings.
These concerns have prompted the UAE to implement more stringent immigration policies and to scrutinise visa applicants' social media activities. The UAE has cautioned Pakistani expatriates against spreading negative propaganda about the nation, its institutions, or its politicians.
In July 2024, the Secretary Overseas Pakistanis Dr Arshad briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis about the problems that other nations have with Pakistanis underscored the Pakistani diaspora's work ethics-related and revealed that it was responsible for an alarming 50% of the total crime in the UAE. Pakistani nationals are responsible for a significant portion of the crime rate among the labour force in the UAE. Specifically, it was reported that around 50% of the crime rate among the labour force in the UAE is attributed to Pakistanis
The Gulf nation has warned Pakistani expats living there against spreading propaganda against their country, institutions, or politicians with Dr Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi, the Consul General of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Karachi, confirming on geo.tv that the country has arrested many Pakistanis of which five have been sentenced to 14 to 15 years in jail. Elaborating on his government's concerns and policies regarding visa issuance, the Gulf nation's envoy complained that people from some nations indulge in riots if the situation in their home country deteriorates and remarked that "people have to go to hospitals, there can be some other emergencies [...] this shouldn't happen". "People work round the clock here [...] blocking roads, and spreading misinformation about someone else is not part of the UAE's culture. Our laws and regulations don't allow this at all," the consul general said.
Meanwhile, In a recent interview, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, stated that the top leadership of Pakistan, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is highly concerned about the UAE’s visa restrictions.
At the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Ministry officials further reported a declining trend in the overseas employment of Pakistani labour. “This decline is attributed to the modernization and advanced technology in these societies, while a significant portion of the Pakistani labour force remains unskilled.” Additionally, he said, there is a lack of resources and skill development within the domestic labour force, resulting in workers from other countries replacing Pakistani workers.
In an interesting development, to convey its strong message to Pakistan for its acts, the UAE has recently denied accreditation to the Pakistan designated Ambassador to the UAE, the Ex-Military official Lt Gen (R) Muhammad Aamir. This is the first time that the UAE has denied any country from posting an Ambassador of its choice. It is also assessed that the UAE may be apprehensive that posting of a retired army officer in the country is with Pakistan’s continued limited vision of the bilateral relationship and seeing it from the lens of security cooperation, the UAE being home of a large number of Baloch and Pashtun people from Pakistan. In the past Saudi Arabia had rejected Gen Asad Durrani because of his ISI background.
In the present world order intermingled with complexities, countries with economic strength are succeeding primarily because political and strategic drivers for any country now necessitate that there be a robust economic framework as well. Pakistan has not been able to improve on its economic strength, focusing instead on strengthening only its strategic links with other countries. Pakistan’s Gulf policy has largely focused on upholding cultural and religious ties, rather than building sustainable economic linkages. Though energy resources have been prioritised, overall efforts towards improving economic ties with the Gulf have been lacklustre. Pakistan’s UAE policy has mainly been focused on securing economic assistance rather than on cementing economic ties. However, locking in financial assistance does not constitute as ‘success’ when it comes to economic ties.
UAE’s approach towards Asia now circles around deepening economic ties with India while simultaneously maintaining some sort of cooperation with Pakistan on specific issues and occasional aid packages for Pakistan’s weak economy.
Ohidul Islam Antar is a journalist
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