UAE Airport Offloading of Pakistani Parliamentarians Sparks Senate Outcry
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Tuesday voiced serious concerns over reports of Pakistani parliamentarians and government officials facing travel restrictions and offloading incidents at Dubai airports despite holding official blue passports.
During the meeting, lawmakers highlighted several cases in which parliamentarians and their family members were subjected to inconsistent immigration procedures and denied boarding or delayed entry in the UAE, raising questions about the implementation of existing bilateral agreements.
Officials from the Ministry of Interior and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), including Additional Secretary Interior Salman Chaudhry, briefed the committee on the situation and informed members that the issue is being pursued through diplomatic channels in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The committee urged the government to formally engage UAE authorities to ensure that holders of official passports are granted the facilitation guaranteed under existing arrangements and are not subjected to unnecessary restrictions.
Blue passports, also known as official or service passports, are issued to parliamentarians, senior government officials, judges, and bureaucrats. Under bilateral agreements between Pakistan and the UAE, holders of diplomatic and official passports are entitled to visa exemptions and facilitated entry for specified durations.
However, recent incidents involving senior lawmakers have raised concerns that even legitimate official travellers are facing increased scrutiny at airports and immigration checkpoints.
The issue comes amid broader UAE measures tightening entry requirements for Pakistani nationals. According to previous briefings to parliamentary committees, visa approvals for ordinary green passport holders have been significantly restricted, while approvals continue primarily for diplomatic and official passport categories.
UAE authorities have reportedly linked the stricter policies to concerns over visa overstays, illegal employment, organised begging networks, and other criminal activities involving some foreign visitors. Pakistani officials acknowledged these concerns while stressing the importance of safeguarding the travel rights of genuine visitors and official delegations.
