UAE halts visas for Pakistanis

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has stopped issuing visas to Pakistani citizens, an Interior Ministry official in Islamabad was quoted as saying by local media on Thursday. Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry disclosed the development during a meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights. “If a ban is imposed, getting it removed would be difficult,” Dawn quoted Chaudhary as saying. According to the official, the UAE was currently issuing visas only to holders of blue and diplomatic passports. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, chair of the Senate committee on human rights, also confirmed the Interior Ministry official’s remarks. She stated that the restriction stems from concerns that Pakistani travellers were “getting involved in criminal activities” after reaching the UAE. @@@ Three Chinese workers killed in Tajikistan Beijing, Nov 29: Three Chinese workers were killed in Tajikistan in a drone attack that was carried out from across the border in Afghanistan, official media here reported. The attack targeted a camp housing company employees in Tajikistan’s southwestern Khatlon region on Wednesday night, state-run Global Times here reported, citing Tajikistan’s foreign ministry. “This attack was carried out using an unmanned aerial vehicle” carrying explosives, the ministry was quoted as saying. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. The Tajik ministry condemned “these acts of terrorist groups” and urged Afghan authorities to stabilise and secure their side of the border, the report said. The Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan also issued a renewed warning to Chinese companies and personnel engaged in gold mining operations in the affected region, urging them to leave the area as soon as possible. Afghanistan on Friday expressed “deep regret” and strongly condemned the attack. Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal said Afghanistan “assures full cooperation with the government of Tajikistan and is fully prepared for information exchange, technical cooperation, and joint assessment to find the causes of the incident.”