WEB DESK : The United Arab Emirates (UAE) toughened its visa policy for Pakistanis, particularly for those holding official and diplomatic passports. Official passport holders are required to wait for a longer time to get visas, contrary to the norms that accord priority to such passport holders.

This startling revelation was made in a written reply by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs submitted to the Senate in response to a question of a senator.

According to it, UAE authorities have adopted a stringent policy for granting visas to the holders of official passports from Pakistan. "Pakistani passport holders, both diplomatic and official, have been facing a stringent clearance regime for the past three years before visas are issued," stated the written reply. -NNI