News Desk |
The Government of Pakistan faced international embarrassment when a grade-20 officer was caught allegedly stealing a wallet full of Dinars from a Kuwaiti delegate in Islamabad, yesterday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zQjLCatzlc
The Kuwaiti delegation was attending a two-day Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) in Islamabad, local media reported. One of the Kuwaiti delegates complained that his wallet was missing. Upon investigation, CCTV footage showed a grade-20 officer, Zarar Haider, taking the belongings of the Kuwaiti delegate and stuffing it inside his pocket.
The joint secretary is seen conveniently walking away from the scene in the footage. According to reports, the wallet and other belongings were returned to the honorable delegate with apologies but the delegation reportedly left in anger. An FIR is yet to be lodged against the senior official.
The Kuwaiti delegation promised to consider some practical measures to lift the embargo only on business visa requests, according to officials in the Ministry of Finance.
The Kuwait-Pakistan ministerial talks had the primary agenda of lifting the ban on Kuwaiti visas to Pakistanis. Pakistan and Kuwait ended the dialogue without reaching a major breakthrough in the dispute over visa restrictions, which has hampered cordial relations between the two Muslim countries.
The fourth meeting of the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) ended without the signing of an agreement on lifting visa restrictions on Pakistani nationals. The huddle was co-chaired by finance ministers of both the countries. Local media reported that the issue of oil supply on deferred payment was not discussed in the JMC.
Read more: Kuwait lifts visa ban on Pakistanis – Success of Nawaz Diplomacy
Getting oil on credit from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are among the options Pakistan is considering in order to tackle external-sector problems. Pakistani officials revealed that Finance Minister Asad Umar emphasized the need for lifting visa restrictions on Pakistani nationals, which has become a major hurdle in the way of bilateral trade and economic relations.
The Kuwaiti delegation promised to consider some practical measures to lift the embargo only on business visa requests, according to officials in the Ministry of Finance. However, there were no clear commitments to remove the restrictions on all types of visas. Kuwait promised that it would inform Pakistan about the practical steps by the end of next month.
Pakistanis all around the world, especially in Gulf countries, are looked down upon and stereotyped as having a general disregard of any form of law.
However, similar commitments had also been made during a visit of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to Kuwait in March last year. The Pakistani government expressed serious concern over the continued visa curbs since 2011. The ban has great significance as Kuwait was once among the main destinations for expatriate Pakistanis.
However, both sides agreed to form a working group that would look into the labor market requirements of Kuwait in order to accommodate skilled labor from Pakistan. In light of the events that followed, it is safe to say that the green passport won’t be witnessing a Kuwaiti visa anytime soon.
Read more: Is Kuwait on the verge of an economic crunch?
Pakistanis all around the world, especially in Gulf countries, are looked down upon and stereotyped as having a general disregard of any form of law. While getting away with petty crimes may be a ritual in Pakistan, the rest of the world does not see kindly to it.