ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudry said on Thursday that Islamabad’s relations with the UAE were “absolutely fine,” rejecting media reports that Pakistani citizens were being deported from the Gulf country as they were Shia Muslims.
Chaudry was responding to queries raised by lawmakers on the floor of the National Assembly. Several social media posts and news reports have alleged that the UAE has deported Pakistani nationals due to Islamabad’s mediatory support for Iran. Some news outlets have also claimed that the UAE has detained and deported Pakistani citizens who were Shia, as tensions between Abu Dhabi and Tehran escalate.
Pakistan’s foreign office dismissed the claims last week, saying the deportations were linked to immigration violations and other legal matters.
“Now, I don’t know why we try to build this narrative against a country that people are being deported from there on the basis of any sect,” the minister said.
“The government has very responsibly and categorically denied it. Our relations with the UAE are absolutely fine,” he added.
Chaudry pointed out that Pakistan has received the second-highest number of foreign remittances this month from around 1.7 million Pakistani nationals in the UAE.
The minister said Pakistani expatriates in the UAE were contributing to their homes, their country and also to the UAE.
He urged people not to “draw conclusions in a hurry” about countries, warning that it would affect Pakistan’s ties with them.
“I would once again like to request here that if there is any such complaint, we will definitely address it,” Chaudry said.
“For us, any Pakistani, regardless of his religion, regardless of what color he belongs to, the government tries to protect them in the same manner,” he added.
