Hong Kong residents might soon be able to travel to Pakistan without a visa. In this regard, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, revealed that the country is considering granting visa-free access to Hong Kong citizens.
He also recommended that the Hong Kong government reconsider its longstanding travel advisory for Pakistan.
During his second visit to China, Hashmi emphasized that the visa-free entry policy aims to enhance business and tourism opportunities between Pakistan and Hong Kong. The same stressed that it is just a matter of time before the visa requirement is dropped, VisaGuide.World reports.
It is just a matter of time. I think visa-free access for Hong Kong residents to Pakistan would happen both for investment and trade, but also for tourism purposes. We want people from Hong Kong to come and see what Pakistan has to offer.
In 2003, Hong Kong ended visa-free access for Pakistani nationals. However, Pakistan’s ambassador to China stated that Pakistan’s new visa-free proposal for Hong Kong is not conditional on a reciprocal agreement. Khalil Hashmi expressed the hope that this initiative could encourage Hong Kong to restore visa-free access in the future.
Pakistan Calls for Review of Travel Alert
As the South China Morning Post reports, Pakistan’s ambassador to China believes that the visa deal for Hong Kong residents could spur new business opportunities for Pakistan through increased investment and trade and boosting tourism.
He also urged Hong Kong to conduct a “serious review” of its red travel alert for Pakistan, issued in 2014, noting that circumstances have changed significantly over the past decade.
The second-highest warning level red alert advises residents to reconsider or avoid non-essential travel to Pakistan. This alert was implemented after a series of violent attacks in 2014, including a tragic attack on a military school in Peshawar that resulted in the deaths of 149 people, including 132 children.
Moreover, Hashmi, who attended Hong Kong’s ninth Belt and Road Summit during his visit, expressed strong interest in Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu visiting Pakistan. He noted that Pakistan would be “very pleased” to host Lee and stressed that preparations will be made to ensure the visit is “as productive as possible”.
Through such a visit, Hashmi hopes to demonstrate to Hong Kong that Pakistan offers significant market potential and that increased engagement would be “mutually rewarding” for both sides. He also looked forward to his next visit to Hong Kong, where he hopes to connect with members of the financial and professional services sectors.