Pakistan has announced a significant change in its visa policy aimed at boosting tourism and investment by waiving visa fees for citizens from 126 countries. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described this move as a “quantum jump” intended to attract businesspeople, investors, tourists, and other travelers while facilitating ease of doing business. This decision was made during a federal cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Under the new policy, the cabinet approved an online visa application system that allows citizens from 126 countries to obtain business and tourist visas within 24 hours without paying a visa processing fee. According to an official statement from the Prime Minister’s House, the costs of visa processing after this waiver will be covered by the foreign exchange earned from investment and tourism, including religious tourism, which Pakistan has substantial potential for.
In addition to the expedited visa issuance, visitors will benefit from e-gates at Gwadar Port and nine airports across Pakistan, with initial installations planned for Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi airports. Sikh pilgrims with passports from third countries will also be eligible for a visa-on-arrival under a new sub-category approved by the cabinet. The interior ministry will oversee the implementation of this system, with a dedicated dashboard introduced to manage online visa applications.
The new visa policy allows businessmen and tourists to apply for visas online even a day before their travel. The interior ministry and the Foreign Office will manage the implementation and notify the 126 countries involved.
In other cabinet decisions, special courts and banking courts will be established to handle banking cases, following recommendations from the high courts of Islamabad, Balochistan, Sindh, Lahore, and Peshawar, as well as the Ministry of Law and Justice. These courts will operate under the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The cabinet also approved an MoU with Denmark to enhance public-private partnerships in areas such as logistics, transport, sustainable growth, water waste management, urban green development, alternative energy, and basic infrastructure construction.
Regarding international matters, the cabinet passed a resolution calling for the international community to hold Israel accountable for its actions in Palestine and to expedite efforts for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza. The resolution, supported by the Prime Minister’s Office, highlighted the tragic loss of over 39,000 Palestinian lives due to Israeli actions, which have been declared as “genocide” by the International Court of Justice.
