KARACHI: Pakistanis can now avail five-year visas following the resolution of `existing issues`, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

The development came during a meeting between Zaabi and Sindh Governor Karmran Khan Tessori at the Governor`s House, Dawn.com reported.

`Visa issues have been resolved, Pakistanis can get a five-year visa,` a statement released by the Governor`s House quoted Ambassador Zaabi as saying.

Dawn reached out to the UAE`s mission in Islamabad for more clarity on the envoy`s statement, but did not receive a response until the filing of this report.

According to the statement, the envoy also invited the governor to visit the visa centre at the Karachi consulate.

Governor Tessori thanked the UAE diplomat for his country`s investment in the province, especially in Karachi. The ambassador praised ongoing projects under the governor`s initiative.

UAE authorities had lately increased the scrutiny of Pakistanis arriving in the country due to their alleged involvement in crime and unlawful activities, such as begging.

On December 23, a Senate panel was informed that all Pakistani travellers to the UAE needed to be vetted and verified by the police.

In another meeting on Jan 9, the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development was told that there were `no restrictions on work visas` for Pakistanis travelling to the UAE.

It was also learnt that visas to the UAE had been `unofficially closed` and its government had reservations that Pakistanis, on visit visas, resort to begging in the country.

In an interview with Geo News in November last year, the UAE consul general in Karachi, Dr Bakheet Ateeg Alremeithi, had revealed that Pakistanis may be facing visa rejections due to their negative activities on social media.

However, he clarified that there was no ban on UAE visas for Pakistani nationals, per se.