Daily Times

Pakistan Consulate General in Dubai has shut all its consular services for the next two weeks due to enhanced 24-hour movement restrictions in the Emirates amid COVID-19 epidemic.

A spokesperson at the Pakistan Consulate General in Dubai said in a statement, “We are not giving any passport or ID card renewal services in addition to any other routine services for the next two weeks or until further notice.”

The Consulate has instructed all Pakistani deportees not to visit the diplomatic mission until the 24-hour movement restrictions are imposed in Dubai.

The consulate has also advised residents on its twitter account to register online in case they need ration. The consulate staff will contact them to provide the ration at their residences.

Ahmed Amjad Ali, consul-general of Pakistan in Dubai, advised the Pakistani expatriates to avail round-the-clock online services of the consulate and embassy in Abu Dhabi.

“We have already introduced extraordinary measures at the consulate for the safety of public. However, the latest initiative is in line with the UAE government decision for social distance advisory,” Ali reported.

To a question, he said the consulate offers various services to around 1.2 million Pakistanis living in Dubai and Northern Emirates.

“We offer services such as issuance and renewal of machine readable passports and national identity cards, attestation of documents and issuance of foreign exchange remittance cards, visa, among others,” the consul-general said.

“We handle up to 1,200 visitors daily at the consulate. However, we have no choice under the circumstances but to suspend the services except emergency ones at the consulate for the safety of public,” he said.

Lastly, he urged the community to follow the consulate’s social media accounts for latest updates on its services.