Kuwait to issue work visas to Pakistanis once more after ten-year hiatus

Kuwait, after a ten-year-long suspension, will be resuming work visas to Pakistanis, according to Minister for Interior Shaikh Rasheed.

While speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Rasheed said the Kuwait interior minister has assured him the country will resume work visas for Pakistanis.

He said the process in that regard would begin soon once the coronavirus travelling restrictions are lifted.

According to Arab News, Kuwait had stopped issuing visas to nationals from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2011 "over what it said was difficult security conditions" in these countries.

The development comes as Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah arrived in Islamabad today for a two-day trip to meet his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

The two foreign ministers met in November last year on the sidelines of the 47th Session of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Niamey, Niger.

“The two foreign ministers agreed to work closely toward further strengthening and expanding bilateral cooperation in diverse fields,” the Foreign Office said in a statement ahead of Al-Sabah’s visit.

Earlier, in October, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development announced Pakistan will send 600 medical professionals to Kuwait under an agreement signed between the two countries in July.

A press release said that initially 221 medical professionals, including doctors, nurses and technicians will leave for Kuwait, followed by a second batch of 200 professionals.

Ambassador of Kuwait to Pakistan, Nasr Abdul Rehman J Al Mutairi, extended his gratitude to the Pakistani government for providing medical assistance to his country during the difficult time of coronavirus.

He also thanked the Pakistani medical professionals for "helping their Kuwaiti brothers" face the deadly virus.

— With additional input from APP.