News of UAE visa ban raises alarm bells, Senate briefing

The Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights held a meeting to discuss the growing global concern over Pakistani passports. Officials said in the briefing that the expected ban on Pakistani passports was averted at the last minute, but the risks remain. Officials said that the UAE is not issuing visas to ordinary Pakistanis, only blue passport and diplomatic passport holders are being allowed.

Representatives of the Ministry of Interior told the committee that the neighbouring country interfered in Pakistan’s passport system and issued passports on fake identities, which badly affected Pakistan’s reputation. Due to the same act, Saudi Arabia also deported Pakistani citizens on a large scale, including many Afghan citizens residing with Pakistani identity cards.

During the meeting, it was revealed that 21,647 Pakistanis are imprisoned in 61 countries of the world for various crimes. According to the Ministry of Interior, most of the arrests are for minor cases like overstay, identity fraud and bank fraud, while the number of Pakistanis involved in serious crimes is negligible.

The chairperson of the committee, Samina Mumtaz, expressed serious concern over human trafficking and said that there is no effective campaign to make the public aware of the dangers in different parts of the country. She said that dangerous scams like fake courses, fake degrees and drug trafficking are harming the youth for life.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Interior said that strong human trafficking networks are active in Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Wazirabad and Lahore in Punjab, which collect Rs 4.3 to 5 million from the youth and lure them to Europe through illegal routes. Many victims are kept in forced labour and inhumane conditions for 6 to 8 months.

According to experts, the growing international concern against Pakistani passports is directly linked to human trafficking networks and identity fraud. If timely measures are not taken, Pakistan may face strict travel restrictions at the global level in the future.