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Tens of thousands of Pakistani expats who were stranded abroad due to flight restrictions have returned in recent weeks, the country's new envoy to the UAE has said.
Nearly 12,000 flew from Pakistan to the UAE in the two weeks after restrictions were eased on August 4, Hassan Afzal Khan, Consul General to Dubai, told The National.
Many more are expected now that Pakistani airports have brought in rapid testing, while Etihad resumed flights from Pakistan to Abu Dhabi this week.
Hassan Afzal Khan, a diplomat with 19 years of experience with Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, joined the consulate general two weeks ago.
During the last two weeks, I would say, a huge number of Pakistanis have rejoined their families and jobs here
Hassan Afzal Khan,
consul general for Pakistan
“During the last two weeks, I would say, a huge number of Pakistanis have rejoined their families and jobs here,” Mr Khan said.
The UAE holds the second largest Pakistani expat community in the world, and the official hopes to continue assisting the more than 1.6 million Pakistanis who call the emirates their home.
Many of his country's citizens have been facing difficulties since the start of 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He replaced Ahmed Amjad Ali, whose work was crucial at the height of the pandemic as thousands of Pakistanis were repatriated amid travel restrictions.
Mr Khan said he was focused on improving the welfare of Pakistanis and would continue to hold talks with local authorities to ease employment visa restrictions that often affect single Pakistani men.
Welfare of citizens
“There's over 1.6 million Pakistanis in the UAE and most of them are low-income, so our target is to provide them efficient consular services," he said.
“One thing we have to understand is that most of them are not well-educated, so our efforts are to guide them in a way where they don't have to visit us time and time again, and that we provide them digitised services, where they be able to understand the requirements and get services.”
Many people from Pakistan, especially labourers, seek work abroad to provide for their families.
Some earn less than Dh1,500 ($408) a month and often rely on the consulate and humanitarian agencies to help with donations or issues such as delayed salaries and repatriation costs.
Mr Khan said the pandemic created many other challenges and local authorities helped the consulate to tackle them.
When many people lost their jobs during the pandemic, they relied on the consulate for food and other necessities.
Pakistan carried out its biggest repatriation operation last year, with more than 60,000 people flown home. Now it aims to increase Covid-19 vaccination rates in the country, which will help those who want to work abroad.
Between flight restrictions lifting on August 4 and August 16, 11,995 Pakistanis had returned to the UAE, a number he expects has increased significantly since then.
“A year ago, our focus was on the repatriation of Pakistanis because a lot of them had lost their jobs. We also provided them with basic food and other stuff at their doorstep because movement was not possible,” he said.
“Now, we are in vaccination phase. We are crossing almost 44 million vaccinations in Pakistan.”
The consulate hopes to continue assisting citizens who are difficulty because of the pandemic.
Travel restrictions for Pakistanis
Pakistan was one of six countries that were the subject of a UAE travel ban because of the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant.
This month, the UAE eased restrictions on those with UAE residency visas who met certain criteria.
Travelling from Pakistan for tourism is still not allowed.
The consulate has also had discussions with local authorities about making employment visas available to skilled workers in Pakistan, Mr Khan said.
Last year, many Pakistanis, particularly labourers and single men, said their employment visa applications were rejected.
Mr Khan believes this was because of the low demand for labourers.
“The situation has changed dramatically,” he said.
“Although the infrastructure and the development in the UAE is growing, we all know it's not at that pace. Therefore, there is no demand for more jobs from anywhere in the world.
"So, it's not only the Pakistanis getting affected by that, a lot of communities who send their labour to the UAE, they are not getting jobs. I'm aware of that and we are looking forward to things improving."
Talks have been held with the authorities with the aim of giving skilled workers access to employment in the UAE, he said.
Mr Khan said he was optimistic "the skilled labour from Pakistan will be able to get in" and would be "given a priority".
Pakistan pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
Mr Khan hopes Pakistan’s participation at Expo 2020 Dubai will help to bolster relations between the two countries.
Construction of the pavilion, which covers 3,251 square metres of the Opportunity District, was completed in March.
“From Pakistan’s point of view, the Pakistani pavilion will showcase all of our traditions and culture here in the UAE,” he said.
“There are more than nine themes that we are working on. The Pakistani government and the private sector are involved.”
Taking the theme "Pakistan: The Hidden Treasure", the country aims to boost tourism, commerce and investment.
The pavilion will take visitors on a journey from the world's earliest recorded civilisations to the challenges of the new millennium, Pakistan has said.
Covid-19 vaccination drive in Pakistan - in pictures
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
Brief scores:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Results
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: RB Kings Bay, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: AF Ensito, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: AF Sourouh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
8.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Baaher, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
9pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Mootahady, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
9.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Dubai Canal, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
10pm: Al Ain Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Harrab, Bernardo Pinheiro, Majed Al Jahouri
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Mubalada World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
