KARACHI: The United Arab Emirates plans to issue five-year visas to 100,000 Pakistanis this year, according to an official statement released by authorities in Pakistan’s Sindh province on Wednesday, following a visit by Governor Kamran Khan Tessori to the UAE consulate in Karachi.
The governor’s office and UAE authorities in Pakistan said this week all visa-related issues between the two countries had been resolved, and Pakistani nationals could now apply for five-year visas to the Emirates.
The development came amid widespread reports in recent months of a decline in visa approvals for Pakistanis, allegedly due to violations of local laws and customs, as well as political sloganeering while abroad.
Tessori visited the UAE consulate in Karachi on the invitation of UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi following a meeting between the two officials in Karachi on Monday.
“The governor of Sindh, Kamran Khan Tessori, was warmly welcomed by the UAE ambassador and consul general during his visit to the UAE consulate,” the Governor House said in a statement.
“The governor toured the visa center at the consulate, where the ambassador briefed him on the facility,” it added. “Ambassador Hamad Obaid Al-Zaabi said 100,000 Pakistanis would be granted five-year visas. The consul general added that applicants would be treated with great respect at the visa center and receive full cooperation.”
Earlier this week on Tuesday, the UAE consulate in Karachi issued a statement on the meeting between Tessori and Al-Zaabi.
“We love Pakistanis very much,” the statement quoted Consul General Bakheet Ateeq Al-Rumaithi as saying. “Every person can apply for a UAE visa … Pakistani citizens can also apply for a UAE visa for work, medical treatment and other needs.”
The UAE is home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates, making it the second-largest overseas Pakistani community globally and a major contributor to remittance inflows to Pakistan.
Policymakers in Pakistan also view the UAE as an ideal export market due to its proximity, which reduces transportation and freight costs and facilitates smoother trade.
 

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani delegation is expected to leave for the United States in the next two weeks to discuss the tariff imposed by President Donald Trump, a commerce ministry official said on Wednesday, adding the main focus will be on increasing US imports to address Washington concern of trade imbalance.
Trump announced to impose a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports to the US and higher duties on dozens of other countries, including some of his country’s biggest trading partners, rattling global markets and bewildering American allies. He also imposed a 29 percent tariff on Pakistan, saying it was charging a 58 percent tariff on goods imported from the US.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting on Wednesday to discuss Pakistan’s response to the US tariff, with his office saying in a statement a high-level Pakistani delegation will go to the US to hold negotiations over the issue and work out a mutually beneficial course of action.
“The delegation will go to the US in the next two weeks as the final date will be decided after the prime minister’s visit to Belarus,” Naveed Kallu, the commerce ministry spokesperson, told Arab News.
He said deliberations were underway on various proposals.
“Three to four different proposals are being worked out, with the main focus on offering options to the United States to increase its exports to Pakistan in order to address their major issue of trade balance,” he continued.
The US trade deficit with Pakistan was $3 billion in 2024, a 5.2 percent increase over 2023, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.
The Pakistani official said another option under consideration was the imposition of reciprocal tariffs on US imports, but the government was focused on finding an amicable solution that would be acceptable to both sides.
When asked about the possible impact of the new American tariff on Pakistani exports, Kallu said it was premature to assess the effects, but Pakistan would be the least impacted country compared to its competitors.
“We are still subject to the lowest tariffs compared to our competitors,” he noted. “Therefore, the impact on our exports will be minimal.”
He said business leaders’ and exporters’ suggestions were also taken into account while formulating the strategy, adding commerce minister had held consultations with them earlier this week to get their recommendations over the issue.
In 2024, Pakistan exported $5.12 billion to the US, with $3.93 billion, or 76.7 percent, coming from textiles and apparel.
The All Pakistan Textile Manufacturers Association (APTMA) maintained a limited yet strategic import substitution favoring the US could be pursued to support a more balanced trade relationship and ease tariff pressures.
“We have suggested that the government focus on reducing the trade gap and propose to the US that Pakistan could purchase more cotton and other items, including petroleum products, in exchange for a reconsideration of the new tariff,” Shahid Sattar, APTMA secretary-general, told Arab News.
He said Pakistan contributes just 0.25 percent to the overall US trade deficit, which is not a significant number.
“Given the limited economic impact of Pakistan’s surplus and its modest tariff regime, there is credible room for negotiation, especially if US market access concerns are addressed constructively,” he added.
Sattar said the US is the second-largest market for Pakistan’s textile exports after the European Union, accounting for about 25 percent of the sector’s annual exports. This, he maintained, makes the industry highly dependent on the US market and particularly vulnerable to any increase in tariffs.
“Even a 10 percent reduction in this sector’s exports would amount to around $350 million,” he said, adding despite the sector’s vulnerability higher tariffs on competitors offered some reassurance.
“Pakistan’s 29 percent reciprocal tariff is comparable to India’s 27 percent but lower than those imposed on Bangladesh [37 percent], China [34 percent] and Vietnam [46 percent],” he continued while pointing out these countries had stronger industrial bases, better logistics, favorable taxation regimes, lower energy costs and an overall better business environment.
Sattar said US cotton is already duty-free and could substitute imports from Brazil.
“Allowing direct imports of US Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) by the textile sector would reduce energy costs and support US exports without harming Pakistan’s trade position,” he added.
Faisal Jahangir, Chairman of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), the country’s second-largest export trade body after textiles, contributing over $2 billion to the national economy annually, said the tariff will have minimal impact on rice exports due to limited options in this sector for the US.
“The US imports rice from only two countries, Pakistan and India, due to the highest safety and compliance standards, and Pakistani rice meets these standards even better than India,” he told Arab News.
He said even Indian brands import rice from Pakistan to further export to other countries, especially the US.
“This tariff will affect US importers more, as they will still need to buy the rice but will now also have to factor in the added cost of the tariff,” he added.
Asked about his meeting with the commerce minister, Jahangir said REAP had suggested the government, along with other proposals, should consider imposing reciprocal tariffs on US food products.
“If our delegation fails to get any concession, we can respond to the [US] move by imposing reciprocal tariffs because we do have the option to import food products from many other countries,” he added.