Mazari says will raise visa problems faced by Pakistanis in Kuwait
- By Web Desk -
- Sep 24, 2018
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari on Monday said visa problems being faced by Pakistani citizens living in Kuwait will be taken up with Kuwaiti authorities to address problems of overseas Pakistanis.
Responding to a calling attention notice in the Senate, she said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will raise the issue in a meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session in New York
The minister said the issue will also be taken up during a two-day Pak-Kuwait Joint Ministerial Commission scheduled to be held in Islamabad on Thursday.
She said that Kuwait had unofficially banned visas to nationals of various countries in 2011, which includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran, on the pretext of their alleged involvement in drug trafficking and criminal offences.
Mazari said on the other hand that Indian citizens are getting visas in large numbers and other privileges.
Govt focusing on development of Balochistan
Responding to another calling attention notice, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said the government is focusing on the development of Balochistan to bring the province at par with other federating units.
He said the country is facing huge circular debt and the report has presented solid solutions and recommendations to address this issue.
He urged members to go through the report to give their suggestions to face challenges like growing circular debt, low water table, and increasing load-shedding.
He also rejected UNDP report declaring Balochistan as the poorest province in the world. He said Balochistan witnessed growth rate of over 13 percent whereas it was 8.5 per cent in Punjab in recent years. The state minister said that 195 billion rupees were released during the last five years.
Meanwhile, Leader of the House Shibli Faraz presented a report on circular debt before the Senate, and said decisions should be made for the betterment of Pakistan.