NEW DELHI, Nov 28: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is learnt to have stopped issuing new visas to citizens of 13 countries including Pakistan and Iran.
According to media reports on Saturday, the government had issued the order on November 18 but has come to light only now. Most of the 13 countries put under ban for travelling to UAE are Muslim countries but it has not assigned any reason for the new order except to say that it was only a temporary measure and taken for “security concerns.”
The Dubai Airport Free Zone said in a statement that the suspension took effect on November 18 and would run until further notice. The suspension primarily targets new employment and tourist visa. It was not clear if there were any exceptions to the ban.
Last week, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the UAE had stopped processing new visas for its citizens, however, added that people already holding valid visas were not affected.
Besides Pakistan and Iran, other countries included in the list are: Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Algeria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Kenya and Tunisia, the agency reports said.
(Manas Dasgupta)