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Pakistani pilgrims will be barred from travelling by road to Iran and Iraq for the Arbaeen pilgrimage due to public and national security, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday. Pilgrims visit Iraq to attend the chehlum commemoration — also known as Arbaeen (40 in Arabic) — to mark the 40th day of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Husain, the grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). “After extensive consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [the] Balochistan Government, and security agencies, it has been decided that zaireen (pilgrims) will not be allowed to travel to Iraq and Iran by road for Arbaeen this year,” Naqvi said on X. He added that the “difficult decision was taken in the interest of public safety and national security”. However, the pilgrims will be able to travel by air, the minister noted. Naqvi stressed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to “arrange maximum flights to facilitate their pilgrimage in the coming days”. Naqvi’s statement came after ...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday announced that Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have agreed on multiple visa waivers for diplomatic and official Pakistani passports, and vice versa. Pakistan and the UAE share close diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties. The UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners in the Middle East and a major source of remittances, with a large Pakistani expatriate population living and working there. In a post on X, Dar announced the agreement with the UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, hailing the decision between “our two brotherly countries”. “I have been informed by the UAE authorities that the visa waiver for diplomatic and official Pakistani passports entering the United Arab Emirates has been activated, effective July 25, 2025, at all UAE airports,” the foreign minister wrote. “We agreed [on] mutual visa waivers on diplomatic and official passports between our two brotherly countries an...

KARACHI: While the passports of other Asian countries have emerged as the most powerful in the world, Pakistan’s travel document continues to be ranked among the ‘weakest’ in the world, with visa-free access available to only 32 destinations. According to the Henley Passport Index for 2025, Pakistan currently ranks 96th on the list — ahead of the war-torn nations of Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Although still quite low, the country’s ranking has improved slightly; in 2024, the Pakistani passport was tied with Yemen as the fourth-worst in the world for the fourth consecutive year. The Henley Passport Index compares the visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations, and ranks all the world’s passports based on the number of destinations their holders can enter without a prior visa. Singapore, Japan and South Korea top the list; Afghanistan placed at the bottom If no visa is required, then that passport is given a score value of 1. The same applies if you can obtain a vis...

ISLAMABAD - Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb yesterday said that Afghanistan was a significant market for Pakistani products.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Saturday congratulated the Pakistani team on winning the Asian Under-16 Volleyball Championship.

Pakistani cueists won two titles in one day at the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) world snooker championships on Friday, with Muhammad Asif clinching the IBSF World Masters Snooker Championship and Hasnain Akhtar claiming victory in the World U17 Snooker Championship. Asif secured victory over Indian Brijesh Damani with a score of 4-3 by the seventh frame of play. Earlier, Hasnain beat Wales’ Riley Powell 4-0 in the final of the under-17 tournament The former world amateur champion advanced to the final after securing a 4-2 win over India’s Manan Chandra in the semi-final held on Thursday at the Crowne Plaza Bahrain. The frame scores were 118-6, 0-84, 25-76, 92-11, 87-62, and 72-41. View this post on Instagram Asif qualified for the semifinals of the masters after defeating Habib Sabah (Bahrain) 4-0 (68(68)-8, 57-37, 68(68)-8, 40(40)-8) in the quarterfinal on Thursday. In the pre-quarterfinals, Asif defeated Mohamed Shehab (UAE) 4-2 (56-68, 21-72, 57-21, 80(80)-0, 68-45(43), 68-58). The...

Around 13,000 to 15,000 Pakistani students go to the United Kingdom for permanent residence every year, a Foreign Office (FO) official told the Senate on Friday. “Every year, 13,000 to 15,000 Pakistani students go to the UK for permanent residence,” a FO representative told the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis in a meeting chaired by Senator Zeeshan Khanzada. “Pakistani students prefer to settle in the UK rather than return to the country,” the official added. “These students are willing to work even for minimum wage.” According to the official, Pakistani students then become part of the UK labour market. The FO representative told the panel that there are currently 1.8 million Pakistanis living in the UK. “Pakistani citizens face difficulties [in the UK] due to lack of English proficiency,” the official added. Earlier in the week, UK’s government launched e-visas for Pakistani students and workers as part of an “enhanced” border and immigration system. The announcement came just a day after t...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday announced that the first batch of 300 Pakistani agriculture graduates had completed their hands-on training in China’s Shaanxi province as part of a joint agriculture training initiative. Last July, it was announced that 1,000 students would travel to China for modern agricultural vocational training at the government’s expense. The first batch of students was sent to China at the beginning of the academic year 2024-25, while the next batch would be sent to Chinese agricultural universities after learning Chinese in Pakistan. In a post on X, the PM said it was “very heartening” to hear that the 300 students completed their training “in important areas of water saving irrigation, seed production, animal husbandry, agriculture production and prevention of post-harvest losses”. “My special thanks to the Chinese leadership, [the] Shaanxi Government and the two universities,” PM Shehbaz said, referring to North West Agriculture and Forestry University and Yangling Vocational...

The United Kingdom on Wednesday removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, thereby allowing Pakistani airlines to now apply to operate flights to the UK, according to a statement from the British High Commission in Islamabad. Debt-ridden Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was banned from flying to the European Union, UK and the United States in June 2020, a month after one of its Airbus A-320s plunged into Karachi’s Model Colony, killing nearly 100 people. The ban on operating to Europe was lifted in November last year. Today’s development comes after a team from the UK Department for Transport concluded an aviation security ins­pection at Islamabad Inter­nat­ional Airport on Thursday, declaring Pakistan’s security arrangements “satisfactory and in line with international standards”. “Following air safety improvements, the UK’s Air Safety Committee has lifted UK restrictions on Pakistani carriers,” said a statement from the British High Commission. “Individual airline carriers will still need to apply for ...

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, has revealed that nearly 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims who traveled to Iran, Iraq, and Syria are either missing or have overstayed, with no official record of their whereabouts.

In a major development for Pakistan’s aviation sector, the United Kingdom has officially lifted its long-standing ban on Pakistani airlines, a move confirmed by British High Commissioner Jane Marriott and welcomed as a positive step in UK-Pakistan relations.

The United Kingdom’s government on Tuesday launched e-visas for Pakistani students and workers as part of an “enhanced” border and immigration system. The announcement came just a day after the two countries formally signed the Trade Dialogue Mechanism Agreement and decided to establish the UK-Pakistan Business Advisory Council to institutionalise bilateral economic cooperation. In a statement today, the British High Commission (BHC) in Islamabad said: “The UK Government is replacing physical immigration documents for most student and worker visas with a digital proof of immigration status, an e-visa.” British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said on X that the facility was for “most students and workers applying for more than 6 months”. An e-visa is an online record of a person’s immigration permission in the UK and will make the visa process easier and more secure, the BHC noted in its statement. “E-visas are tried and tested, with millions of people already using them on select immigration routes,” it highl...

The United Kingdom has introduced a digital visa system for Pakistani nationals on most student and worker routes, replacing traditional physical immigration documents with an online eVisa.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid an official visit to the United Arab Emirates. He met with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to strengthen bilateral cooperation in security, counter-narcotics, and immigration matters. Minister Naqvi received a warm welcome at the UAE Ministry of Interior, […]

Indian government seeks to eradicate influence of Pakistani artists – again

Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed on Friday termed “Pakistani talent and Chinese technology an invincible wall” for peace, security and stability in South Asia during a dialogue held in Islamabad. Pakistan has held strong bilateral relations with China which has supported it through many investments and development projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), termed as a “lifeline” for the country’s economy. The senator’s comment came during a keynote address at the Pakistan-China Dialogue hosted by the Pakistan-China Institute (PCI) under the auspices of the “Friends of Silk Road”, according to a statement by the PCI. The event was attended by diplomats, parliamentarians, students and scholars. Mushahid, who serves as the PCI chairman, observed: “The global balance of economic and political power is shifting from West to East, heralding the Asian Century.” He lauded China’s “peaceful rise as a source of strength for developing nations across Asia, Africa and Latin America” and thanked Beijing fo...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani citizens planning to visit Sweden in 2025 must meet strict financial documentation requirements to secure a short-term Sweden Schengen visa. Among the most critical documents is a bank statement, which serves as proof that the applicant has sufficient funds to cover their stay in the Scandinavian country. Sweden, known for its rich cultural […]

The German Embassy in Islamabad has introduced a new Consular Services Portal aimed at simplifying and accelerating the application process for Pakistani citizens seeking work visas.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close coordination with the Iraqi Airways, successfully facilitated the repatriation of 268 Pakistani nationals earlier Monday through two special flights from Basra to Karachi and Islamabad.

Uzbekistan Airlines on Saturday flew its inaugural Pakistani route from Islamabad to Tashkent, marking a key moment in connectivity between the two nations, a statement from the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said. Uzbekistan announced earlier this year that air routes between Karachi, Samarkand and Bukhara would be launched, describing it as a significant step to foster closer ties between the two nations. According to a PAA statement, the flight took off at 1:09pm with 126 passengers on board, with Zone 1 of Islamabad International Airport specially adorned with colourful balloons for the milestone. “The event was graced by the esteemed ambassadors of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan,” the statement read, adding that the Chief Operating Officer of Islamabad Airport, the managing director of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation and the Country Manager of Uzbekistan Airlines also attended. “Guests warmly welcomed passengers at Stand 3 and a formal cake-cutting ceremony was held in the ...