Minister of State for Home Affairs Talal Chaudhry speaks to journalists outside Parliament in Islamabad on October 9, 2025. Screenshot
Minister of State for Home Affairs Talal Chaudhry on Thursday said ties between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates were “absolutely good” and dismissed speculation about a breakdown in ties.
He made this statement during a session of the National Assembly (NA) while responding to the concerns of parliamentarians over the alleged deportation of Pakistanis from the Middle Eastern country.
The issue first arose last month when some social media accounts claimed that around 1,200 Pakistanis had been deported from the UAE over visa issues and alleged legal violations in the wake of the regional crisis that erupted after the US-Iran war. A report published by The New York Times He claimed that the UAE had begun a large-scale expulsion of Pakistani workers.
The report said it interviewed 20 Pakistani Shiites, including eight businessmen based in the Emirates, who alleged that their Pakistani employees had been deported in recent weeks. According to the report, the deportations came amid the Emirates’ “perceived discontent over Pakistan’s response to Iranian attacks” on the Gulf state, as Islamabad attempted to broker a peace deal between the United States and Iran. The Home Office had dismissed the reports as “bad faith” and part of a “vicious propaganda” campaign.
Chaudhry warned against “building false narratives against friendly countries”, while dismissing claims that the UAE deportations were based on sectarian grounds.
“The government has categorically denied these rumors,” he stressed.
Addressing the gathering, the minister highlighted that the largest amount of remittances was received from overseas Pakistanis residing in Saudi Arabia, followed by the United Arab Emirates.
“Currently, 1.7 million Pakistanis reside ‘legally’ in the UAE,” he said, adding that these people contributed to the betterment of both the host country and Pakistan.
“We should not draw premature conclusions about countries, as this may negatively affect our future ties.”
Furthermore, the minister assured that the Government will protect all citizens and address their complaints regardless of their “religion and ethnicity.”
The Home Minister shed light on the good ties between Pakistan and the UAE and said, “Entry is now being granted to official and diplomatic passport holders under new arrangements, a facility that was not available earlier.”
Passport classification and visa facilitation
Reflecting on the government’s performance, Chaudhry said, “Pakistan’s passport classification and international travel facilitation have improved in the current period.”
He asked lawmakers to compare the current and previous mandates in terms of results, stating that “several visa facilitation agreements” had been signed with a number of countries, including agreements for diplomatic and official passport holders.
“Progress has also been made regarding the visa-free entry regime,” he stated.
Terrorism
Commenting on the recent terrorist attack, the Interior Minister said the “fight against it” was being carried out by both the provincial and federal governments.
He urged parliamentarians to review the government’s performance against the ground realities to assess the situation fairly.
Chaudhry also called on lawmakers for a thorough parliamentary debate on the implementation of the National Action Plan.
“All the actors agreed on it,” he stated while requesting the floor to point out the deficiencies in the implementation, “if any.”
He asked members to also dedicate a session to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the plan in the fight against terrorism.
