Pakistani embassy tackles long queues

The Pakistan Embassy has added more staff and given a hall a high-tech makeover to counter the long queues for consular services experienced by nationals.

The refurbished hall has been fitted with new machines at the embassy in Abu Dhabi and can now serve up to 400 people at a time.

The number of staff has also been doubled from the previous five.

"The main objective during my tenure in the UAE is to address all community issues and to provide best-quality services up to their satisfaction," said the Pakistani ambassador, Jamil Ahmed Khan. He said the construction of this hall was "the first step in this direction".

He said the extra staff would provide smoother and more efficient services.

"Now people do not need to come early in the morning, as the embassy is now issuing tokens up to 1pm to all the people who come for consular services, and we are ensuring that they are served on the same day," Mr Ahmed Khan said at the inauguration of the refurbished hall.

Approval has also been granted for two new halls at the embassy in the capital and the consulate in Dubai that can serve 650 at a time.

The ambassador also said that the 1.2 million Pakistanis in the UAE sent more than Dh8 billion in remittances to their home country in the past nine months, the same as 1.7 million expatriates in Saudi Arabia.

nhanif@thenational.ae