The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has granted visa-free entry to Pakistanis holding diplomatic. And official passports, while ordinary citizens continue to face strict visa restrictions.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced that UAE authorities have officially removed the visa requirement for Pakistani diplomats and government officials starting July 25, 2025. This agreement was signed during Dar’s meeting with UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on June 24, 2025. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed to make this exemption effective within 30 days.
Dar also stated that Pakistan has reciprocated by lifting visa restrictions for UAE’s government officials, allowing them entry into Pakistan without visas at all airports.
While this move is being celebrated by Pakistan’s ruling elite, it highlights a growing divide. UAE visa-free entry. Ordinary Pakistanis continue to face travel hurdles, including tightened visit visa rules. Despite millions of citizens living and working in the UAE. Meanwhile, the privileged class of diplomats and senior officials has gained exclusive access to this new facility.
With inflation, unemployment, health crises, floods and rising lawlessness already making life difficult for common people. This decision further exposes how relief measures often favor the elite. Many citizens are calling it yet another example of how the political and bureaucratic class ensures benefits for itself. While the average Pakistani struggles for basic opportunities abroad.
