ISLAMABAD — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday inaugurated a new visa centre in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest megapolis and commercial hub.
UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan inaugurated the visa centre in the southern Pakistani port city in the presence of Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and UAE Consul-General in Karachi Dr Salem Al-Khaddeim Al-Dhanhani.
Officials of the Sindh government, business figures and media persons were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the ceremony, Al-Dhanhani highlighted the “solid historic relations between the UAE and Pakistan since the era of the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan”.
He said, “The visa centre, one of the largest in Asia, will provide distinguished consular services in line with the latest international standards.”
According to the UAE consul-general, the centre has been set up as part of the framework to provide all administrative services aimed at improving the level of customer service and issuing visas to facilitate the entry of Pakistanis into the UAE through electronic gates at the ports.
More than 1.6 million Pakistani expatriates live in the UAE and work in different public and private sectors, who remit over $4 billion to Pakistan annually.
With the inauguration of a modern visa centre in Karachi, Pakistan and the UAE have laid “strong foundations of bilateral relations, friendship and cooperation”, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said in a tweet.
inauguration ceremony of a modernised UAE Visa Center in #Karachi along with #SheikhNahyanBinMubarakAlNahyan & Dr. Salim Alkhaddeim AlDhanhani CG UAE #Pakistan & #UAE have laid strong foundations of bilateral relations,friendship & cooperation over the years. pic.twitter.com/hdh4Md3owp
— Imran Ismail (@ImranIsmailPTI) November 28, 2021