Bilateral ties, diaspora difficulties: Shah Mehmood Qureshi conveys PM Imran Khan's message to UAE leaders

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday discussed the welfare of Pakistani diaspora with Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The foreign minister called on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Dubai. The foreign minister conveyed warm regards of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, who is also the ruler of Dubai. The UAE prime minister warmly reciprocated the sentiments, the Foreign Office said in a press statement.

“Pakistani diaspora is a strong bridge between Pakistan and the UAE,” tweeted the foreign minister. The foreign minister also met UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah Bin Zayed and discussed avenues for deepening relations.

“The welfare of our 1.6 million strong diaspora in the UAE was discussed, with the strengthening of our people-to-people ties a cornerstone of our bilateral relationship,” Qureshi said. “The Pakistan Pavilion at Expo2020 Dubai next year will be a memento of Pakistan-UAE friendship and we wish UAE a resounding success,” he added.

The issue takes up greater significance, as the UAE has stopped issuing new visas, including work visas and visit visas to Pakistanis, worrying Islamabad, as thousands of Pakistanis are now unable to take up jobs which are being filled up by the nationals of regional countries, including India.

However, the UAE government has allowed Pakistan to participate “effectively” in the Dubai Expo 2020. While Qureshi wished the expo a resounding success and expressed gratitude to the UAE government, nofurther details were available. The new dates for the Dubai Expo have been delayed because of the pandemic. This indicates that some category of visas will be issued.

The ban for new visas came into effect in November. Those Pakistanis holding valid visas are not affected. However, a statement from the Foreign Office about the meeting was silent on the issue of new visas leading to speculation that for the time being the ban had not been lifted.

Qureshi had raised this issue earlier with his counterpart on the sidelines of the OIC meeting in Niger. Besides Pakistan, the UAE has also stopped issuing new visas to citizens of 13 countries, including Iran, Syria and Somalia. “In his meeting today, Foreign Minister Qureshi exchanged views with the prime minister on a range of issues of mutual interest.

He discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation between the two brotherly countries, possibilities of enhancing bilateral trade relations and promoting investment, in particular in the field of agriculture,” said the Foreign Office.

Qureshi requested Sheikh Al Maktoum to encourage the UAE’s business community to explore immense investment opportunities in Pakistan. “Pakistan and the UAE have close and historic fraternal ties. The foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening and augmenting existing strong bilateral relations with the UAE,” added the Foreign Office.

Meanwhile, members of the UAE royal family are already in Mirpurkhas on private visits to hunt for the houbara bustard, on permission by the Foreign Office. News Desk adds:While Pakistan is trying to reason with the UAE on the issue of stopping working visas for Pakistanis, Islamabad has returned $1 billion to Saudi Arabia as the second instalment of a $3 billion soft loan. Islamabad recently reached out to Beijing for a commercial loan to help offset pressure to repay another $1 billion to Riyadh next month, officials said.

Analysts say it is unusual for Riyadh to press for the return of money. With the $1 billion flowing out, Pakistan — which has $13.3 billion in State Bank foreign reserves — could face a balance of payments issue after clearing the next Saudi instalment.

“China has come to our rescue,” a foreign ministry official told a British wire service. A finance ministry official said the SBP was already in talks with Chinese commercial banks. “We've sent $1 billion to Saudi Arabia,” he said. Another $1 billion will be repaid to Riyadh next month, he said. Islamabad had returned $1 billion in July.

Although a $1.2 billion surplus in the current account balance and a record $11.77 billion in remittances in the past five months have helped support the economy, having to return the Saudi money is still a setback. Saudi Arabia gave Pakistan a $3 billion loan and a $3.2 billion oil credit facility in late 2018.