MM News

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday welcomed the easing of visa restrictions by the Kuwaiti government for Pakistani nationals.

The spokesman of the Foreign Office said, the Government of Kuwait has recently agreed to ease visa restrictions for Pakistani nationals, which had been in place since 2011.

Pakistan welcomes the resolution of this long pending matter between the two countries, the spokesman of the foreign office said in a statement. The foundation for this development was laid during a series of engagements between Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Kuwaiti counterpart, he added.

The meetings entailed extensive deliberations on the matter of easing visa restrictions for Pakistani nationals, the statement said.

The spokesman said that in accordance with the commitments reached between the two Foreign Ministers, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior extended an invitation to the Minister of Interior of Pakistan to visit Kuwait and formalize the lifting of visa restrictions imposed on Pakistani nationals.

Accordingly, Minister of Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmad undertook a visit to the State of Kuwait on 30-31 May 2021 and met his counterpart, Sheikh Thamer Ali Al-Salem, it added.

The discussions held between the two Ministers paved way for the development of a framework for easing visa restrictions for Pakistani nationals, the statement said.

“Pakistan accords high importance to its fraternal ties with Kuwait, which are firmly rooted in shared faith and values. The bilateral relationship is marked by high-level visits and growing cooperation across myriad of fields,” it added.

“During the global pandemic, the two countries collaborated closely in the health sector and food security,” the statement mentioned. After a decade-long ban, the Kuwaiti government had announced the resumption of granting work visas to Pakistanis on May 30.

Interior minister of Pakistan Sheikh Rasheedcalled on Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah with the outcome of the restoration of Kuwaiti visas for Pakistanis after about a decade-long blockade.

The meeting held between the leaders was attended by Ahmad’s Kuwaiti counterpart and Pakistani diplomatic staff wherein bilateral relations and concerns of mutual interests were mulled over.

Ahmad presented to the Kuwaiti PM a letter by Pakistani PM Imran Khan and also discussed with him the matters related to Kuwaiti visas for Pakistani ex-pats.

The huddled was agreed there shall be no restrictions on visas to experts of oil and medical fields and the Pakistani ex-pats currently living in gulf countries will be able to sign up online for Kuwaiti visa.

Kuwaiti PM Al-Sabah had stressed the countries have sustained relations for over seven decades now and enjoy a bond of mutual respect and trust.