ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Thursday the deportation of Pakistani nationals from the United Arab Emirates was largely linked to immigration violations and other legal issues rather than political reasons, amid growing concern in Pakistan over reports of expulsions and visa restrictions affecting its citizens in the Gulf state.
The UAE hosts one of the world’s largest Pakistani expatriate communities, up to 1.8 million, and is a major source of remittances for the South Asian nation’s fragile economy. In recent years, however, Pakistani travelers and workers have increasingly reported tighter visa scrutiny, deportations and restrictions linked to overstaying, illegal employment and other immigration violations.
Responding to questions during a weekly press briefing in Islamabad, Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said Pakistani diplomatic missions in the UAE had issued nearly 1,500 emergency travel documents between January and April this year to facilitate the return of affected citizens.
“The Consulate General in Dubai issued around 714 emergency travel documents, while Abu Dhabi issued approximately 780 of them between January and April,” Andrabi said. “So this was the four-month period tracked.”
He said the deportation figures had remained broadly stable and were linked partly to a royal pardon process in the UAE.
“This situation was largely prompted by a Royal Court pardon in the UAE that enabled the release and repatriation of jailed individuals,” Andrabi said. “This took place as a result of a royal pardon granted to some individuals who had been held in prison.”
The spokesman said Pakistani authorities remained in contact with Emirati officials and stressed that Islamabad did not view the deportations as politically motivated.
“I do not see any political reason behind the deportations,” he said.
“These are primarily legal cases, which are being handled both by our diplomatic missions in the UAE as well as by the UAE authorities.”
Andrabi said Pakistani officials had also urged members of the expatriate community to comply with local laws and regulations, particularly following heightened security concerns in the Gulf region after attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis on the UAE in recent years.
“Our embassy and authorities remain in touch with the UAE authorities,” he said.
“They have also ensured that, in the wake of hostilities in the Gulf region and the very serious Houthi attacks against the UAE, which we have condemned, our community fully complies with local laws and instructions ... By and large, except for one or two sporadic cases, the community has been cooperating with the local authorities,” he added.
