Pakistan suspends visa abolition agreement with Kuwait

Pakistan said on Friday that it has suspended visa abolition agreement with Kuwait as the Arab country had made it compulsory for Pakistanis officials and diplomats to get visa despite the agreement.

Kuwait is among the nearly 40 countries with which Pakistan has signed visa abolition agreements and no visa is required for the government officials holding blue and diplomatic passports.

The Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan suspended the agreement with Kuwait"in the backdrop of difficulties faced by the Pakistani government officials and diplomats during their travel to Kuwait,"a spokesman of the ministry said.

"Despite the accord with Kuwait, Pakistani government officials holding blue and diplomatic passports were still required to get visa for travelling to Kuwait which was against the spirit of the agreement," the interior minister was quoted as saying.

According to details, agreement of waiver of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special and official passports was signed between Pakistan and Kuwait in November 2013 before it was implemented in August 2014.

"Such visa regimes and agreements are meant to ease travelling of the government officials and diplomats. However, an agreement cannot last which is not reciprocated and mutually beneficial," remarked Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

The issue of visas for Kuwait was also raised by a Senate member in the upper-house as it was pointed out that despite signing the visa abolition agreement with Kuwait, Pakistani officials were still required to gain a Kuwaiti visa before travelling to Kuwait, the spokesman said. Endit