KARACHI, Nov 22 (APP):Qatar will open two more Visa Centers in Peshawar and Lahore to facilitate people of Pakistan to visit the country for enhanced social and economic relations between the two Muslim brotherly nations. Qatar’s two Visa Centers were already operating in Karachi and Islamabad.
This was stated by Consul General of Qatar in Karachi, Mishal Muhammad Ali Al Ansari, while speaking at meeting with the officials of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) here at the chamber, said a KCCI press release on Friday.
He said that the main purpose of opening of the two more Visa Centres in the capital cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa was fast processing visas of skilled and semi-skilled workers. The number of Pakistanis in Qatar was fast increasing. Over last four years, the number had become almost triple.
” Around 150,000 Pakistanis are living in Qatar , while just four years ago the number was around 40,000 Pakistani,” he remarked.
KCCI President Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan, Senior Vice President Arshad Ismail, Vice President Shahid Ismail and KCCI Managing Committee members were present in the meeting.
Qatari Envoy said Qatar and Pakistan had been enjoying strong relations for last many decades.
“We have initiated visa on arrival service for Pakistanis. Qataris were also benefiting from the visa on arrival facility to visit Pakistan,” he added.
He said Pakistan had been exporting fruit, vegetables, fish, rice, minerals, steel and cement to Qatar and is one of the fastest growing partner of Qatar in the region.
He said that Qatri economy was open to foreign investment and we were looking for partners from all over the world. He said that his country had also eased the restrictions and regulations for all who wanted to do business there. There are numerous sectors where only foreign partners were required and Qatari Banks were also fully facilitating such foreign investors.
Highlighting the activities underway for the FIFA 2020 World Cup and the Vision 2030, Qatari diplomat said FIFA World Cup activities were in full swing as a lot of projects were going on in Qatar. Half of the development work on the subway system had been completed while the construction of two out of six stadiums had also been completed. The work on the remaining four football stadiums would also be completed next year.
Moreover, 80 hotels were also being constructed in Doha while some huge cruise ships would also be arriving in Qatar just for the World Cup which was likely to be attended by millions of people from all over the world.
“FIFA World Cup’s spending is almost $200 billion while under the Vision 2030, around 150 large scale projects worth billions of dollars are to be offered after FIFA world cup in 2020,” he said. Earlier, President KCCI Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan, while welcoming the Qatari Consul General, underscored the need for collective efforts to enhance trade ties between Pakistan and Qatar.
He said that both countries have been enjoying good bilateral relations particularly in the energy sector but efforts had to be made from both sides to enhance trade and investment cooperation in other sectors as well.
Referring to FIFA 2020 being organized in Qatar, he stated that FIFA world cup event had opened up a host of opportunities for the business communities of both the countries to collaborate in numerous sectors of the economy.
