In a statement on Saturday, UAE Foreign Minister Nahyan “affirmed the depthof the bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan,and recalled the keenness of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan onthe relations during the early stages of establishment”.
He stressed “the temporary nature of the recent restrictions imposed on theissuance of visas due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic”, accordingtolinktheUAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation.
*Editorial:* *The Pakistani workforce has become an unfortunate casualty ofthe Middle East’s changing geopoliticslink*
The move comes as a surprise because, even though Covid-19 infections anddeaths have seen a rise in Pakistan in recent weeks, the country has beenpraised link by the World HealthOrganisation, among others, for its handling of the health crisis. Someother countries with much higher caseloads were not barred by the UAE.
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The statement was issued after Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi paid atwo-day official visit to the UAE during which he held meetings with thetop Emirati leadership.
Qureshi had met Nahyan on Thursday. He had apprised his counterpart of thedifficulties being faced by the Pakistani community in the UAE, but nodiscussion about the visa issue was made public at the time.
