The United Arab Emirates has halted the issuance of visas to ordinary Pakistani citizens, a move linked to a recent Senate report revealing that over 21,000 Pakistanis are currently incarcerated in foreign countries, a situation one prominent welfare leader attributes to a systemic failure of Pakistan’s justice system.
Maulana Bashir Farooq Qadri, Chairman of the Saylani Welfare International Trust in a statement today, expressed profound concern over the figures. In a statement, he contended that the primary responsibility lies with the state for its inability to effectively enforce a system of accountability, punishment, and deterrence within its own borders.
‘If violations of the law were consistently met with punishment, people would naturally stay away from criminal thinking and activities,’ Qadri asserted.
He argued that the crisis would not have reached this magnitude had the state established a uniform and effective justice system from its inception-one that curbed document fraud and took strict action against all illegal practices without discriminating between the rich and poor.
This long-standing lapse in governance, he remarked, has led to the current situation where thousands of nationals are “tarnishing our national reputation in foreign jails.”
The fallout now directly affects law-abiding individuals and educated youth whose aspirations for securing a better future are being jeopardized by the UAE”s visa restrictions, causing widespread distress among those seeking opportunities abroad.
The welfare trust chairman called for a thorough investigation into the specific reasons for the imprisonments. He also urged for a comparative analysis to determine if citizens of other nations face similar treatment and circumstances in foreign countries.