The FPCCI’s Pakistan–UAE Business Council has urged the UAE to extend its visa waiver from just officials to genuine Pakistani investors, entrepreneurs, and industrialists. Diwan Fakhruddin, Business Council chairman, believes this move would ease travel, boost investments, and deepen economic ties.
He praised the revival of the 12th Pakistan–UAE Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) after 13 years. Spearheaded by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and UAE FM Sheikh Abdullah, the meeting covered wide-ranging sectors—trade, banking, energy, IT, aviation, defence, healthcare, and climate change—with clear plans to strengthen cooperation.
Currently, Pakistan–UAE trade volume stands at around $10.9 billion, with remittances to Pakistan from UAE set to exceed $7 billion in FY25. Fakhruddin asserts that granting visa waivers to businesspeople could double this trade in five years and encourage even higher remittance flows.
He also highlighted the UAE’s global leadership in renewable and solar energy, stressing Pakistan can greatly benefit from its technology and infrastructure. He welcomed Islamabad’s recent decision to cut GST on imported solar panels from 18% to 10%, calling it a step toward greener collaboration.
Fakhruddin emphasized that investor visa facilitation would unlock bilateral investments in energy, manufacturing, health, and IT sectors. He also recommended that Pakistani remitters receive incentives at home to boost formal transfers, reinforcing Pakistan’s economic recovery and trade diplomacy.