Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that Kuwait will lift a ban on work visas for Pakistan. The announcement came as the Kuwaiti foreign minister embarks on a two-day visit to Pakistan.

According to a report in The News, Kuwait had banned issuing work visas for Pakistanis in 2011. Despite assurance in 2017, the ban wasn’t lifted.  Now Rashid said Kuwait would start issuing work visas to Pakistanis once the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

The formal announcement, the report claims, is expected during the visit of Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah.

“Pakistan accords high importance to its fraternal ties with Kuwait, which are firmly rooted in shared faith and values. The bilateral relationship is marked by high-level visits and growing cooperation across myriad fields. During the global pandemic, the two countries collaborated closely in the health sector and food security,” Foreign Office skesperson Zahid Hafiz Chaudhri said. 

The move will help Pakistan to send its workers to the Gulf country. Remittances form a crucial segment of Pakistan’s economy. Further, the new addition to its market will increase the country’s income. In 2020, Pakistan earned over $24 billion in remittances.