Kuwait resumes visas for Pakistani citizens after 10 year suspension
Pakistanis will now be able to obtain visas online and visit Kuwait after a decade
Kuwait City: After a ten-years of suspension, Kuwait on Sunday announced the resumption of visas, including in family and business categories for Pakistani citizens.
This decision was taken after a meeting between Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, reported The Express Tribune.
It further reported that Kuwait had banned work visas for Pakistan in 2011 and despite attempts by previous governments the restrictions could not be lifted.
In March 2017, the then government had also announced the lifting of the ban by Kuwait during the visit of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to the oil-rich country. However, the decision was never implemented.
The interior minister said that Pakistani families and the business community faced enormous problems with the ban on Kuwaiti visa, adding that Pakistani labour played a very important role in Kuwait's early development, The Express Tribune reported.
He said that the restoration of work visa will create new employment opportunities for Pakistanis, adding that it would also boost trade between the two countries.