JEDDAH: The Saudi Passport Department has denied reports that it will only issue one exit/re-entry visa for Pakistani nationals a year.

Maj. Talal Al-Shalhoob, media manager at the Passport Department in Jeddah, said that the information was wrong, and that employers decide how many times they issue these visas for their employees. This information can be verified on the Absher website, he said.

This comes in the wake of reports posted on news channels over the past week in Pakistan and social media that a ban has been instituted. This created anxiety in the Pakistani community.

The Pakistani Consulate also denied the reports, saying that no directives for such a ban has been received from the Saudi authorities. Several Pakistani nationals have also expressed skepticism because they travel in an out of the country frequently.