KT Exclusive: UAE-Pakistan ties are time-tested

Moazzam Ahmad Khan is not just another diplomat. He is a perfectionist, and has a vision to serve the community. Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE is a practical person, and believes in scaling new heights in cementing a renewed relationship between the two countries. He is never lost on precedents, and has statistics on his fingertips. He enthralls logic as he visualises an enterprising future, and foresees an organic two-way relationship. For him diplomacy is less about protocol and ceremonial gestures. Rather, it has much to do with change and accessibility in a dynamically transforming era. His humour is par excellence, and this is what makes him a people's envoy.
His Excellency Moazzam Khan has an illustrious career, and joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1986. He has served in several capacities, and is known as a 'thinker'. Before being named as envoy to the UAE, he had served as ambassador to The Netherlands. He was also the spokesperson for the Foreign Office from 2012-13, and is remembered by the press corps as an articulate person. He had also served as Director General Europe, D.G. Foreign Minister's Office, and also as consul in India and them U.S.
He is open to ideas, and is an innovative person, per se. His diverse experience in bilateralism and multilateralism is his asset, and he believes in a pattern of diplomatic engagement that is result-oriented and is a shift from status quo. Moazzam eulogises change for the collective betterment of the community and the officialdom.
Pakistan's envoy redefines his linkage with the UAE by praising the egalitarian leadership, and remembers its Founding Father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as one of the greatest visionary of our times. He takes pride in being named as an envoy for the UAE, and remarked, "Sheikh Zayed can't be wrong that he trusted Pakistan, and treated Pakistanis as his kith and kin, and did all he can to boost relations between the two countries". The ambassador says, "UAE's security, stability and prosperity is close to our hearts, and my ambition is to elevate this time-tested relationship to a new glory."
He went on to say that the UAE has been a perpetual and generous development partner. "It is a relationship that is well-above political and regional considerations, and is deep-rooted in commonality of each other's national interests, brotherhood and fraternity." The element of trust is indispensable, and this is what makes it stronger than mountains.
Khan foresees new challenges in times to come, as the numbers of Pakistanis living, working and visiting the UAE grow in leaps and bounds. "Further improving of ties and securing bilateral interests is a task, which will keep both the countries glued together." The UAE is home to more than 1.5 million Pakistanis, and is the largest trading partner in the Middle East. "It is also one of the leading investor in Pakistan, and the UAE's leadership initiatives in the fields of education, healthcare, community development, infrastructure and economic vitality are a "valued asset."
He recalled that the UAE acts as a lifeline for several developmental projects in Pakistan's remote areas, such as the Northern Areas and FATA. He proudly recalled the 100-bed Sheikha Fatima Hospital and Sheikh Khalifa Hospital, as well as the polio vaccination programme, which has benefitted millions of children against ?the epidemic.
The ambassador gleefully acknowledged the generosity of the UAE leadership in times of crisis, and said that it has been a backbone for development. In the same vein, the eloquent envoy mentioned that the role Pakistanis had played in building the UAE, as a success story in the region, couldn't be undermined. He said from labourers to engineers, and from accountants to doctors and administrative staff, Pakistanis were second to none in rewriting the saga of the emirates' prosperity. "That narrative of cooperation is more than enough to keep us going for centuries to come."
Elucidating his policies, as the top Pakistani diplomat in the UAE, Khan said his first priority is to "expand, diversify and deepen" the relationship. "It is very important for Pakistan, and at the same time mutually beneficial for the UAE. We want to take it to the next orbit," he observed. The envoy said that community development is close to his heart, and providing better and hassle-free counseling would be his endeavour. He said provision of better education facilities, creating job market for Pakistanis and protecting their legal rights are some of the other tasks on his mind.
He said that presently there are seven community schools in the UAE, and two of them are in Abu Dhabi. The ambassador said his plan is to ensure that quality education is dispensed, and that too at a very subsidised fee tariff. He said at a nominal Dh250 fee per month, they plan to ensure competitive education and a befitting environment for students in the UAE. He also mentioned the role played by several welfare-oriented bodies in this regard for making education plans a success till the FSC level, and also for provision of scholarships for the needy talented students. He said that plans are underway to expand the network of schools, and provide with better facilities for approximately 10,000 students enrolled in these schools.
He also made it a point to mention some of the private Pakistani universities in the UAE, especially SZABIST, and said that few more alma maters have expressed interest in setting up their campuses in the emirates. 
As far as counselling is concerned, Pakistan's ambassador said that the process has been streamlined on modern technological basis, and now Pakistanis can access online facilities for passport and national identity card issuance and renewal services.
"There are no queues now," and the entire process is a one-window operation. "Last year alone, more than 85,000 passports were issued from Abu Dhabi, which goes on to establish the indispensability of consular services." He hinted that some startling announcements related to Online Visa facility are in the pipeline, and would soon be announced by relevant authorities.  
The ambassador of Pakistan informed that visas for Emirati nationals is processed in no more than two days, and more efforts are being made to streamline it, accordingly.
Khan said that the legal aides and consuls at the embassy and the consulate in Dubai have been directed to visit prisons, and police stations, once a week, so that any litigation requirements for Pakistanis are taken care of. The humble envoy said, "We are doing our best to come up with legal and financial aid for people booked on trivial issues such as payment of fines, and those held for minor crimes." Similarly, people who are in dire straits after being laid off are rehabilitated and repatriated as necessary, on a case-to-case basis.
Khan proudly announced that it is for the first time in history that diplomatic quarters have worked out a plan of action with the UAE authorities for setting up a benchmark for wages for the labourers. He said the system in vogue, known as Protectorate, ensures that the concerned authorities duly vet employment contracts, so that no labourer/employee is fleeced in any way on the terms and conditions of employment. Moreover, he said special emphasis is laid on provision of accommodation, food or necessary allowances to the employee(s), and the embassy acts as the eyes and ears for this entire mechanism. 
Ambassador Khan recalled the glorious yesteryears of bilateralism, and made it a point to stress that Pakistan has been at the vanguard as the UAE scaled new heights of success. "We have literally witnessed and did all we could in our resources to see the UAE become a success story in the region". He said from banking to aviation and from engineering to architect, Pakistanis have played a pivotal role in the development of the UAE.  He recollected that the first flight of Emirates was flown by PIA, and that is why it was known as 'EK' (Emirates Karachi)! Since then on, there was no looking back for Emirates, as it discovered new horizons in the skies. 
Khan said at present there are more than 200 flights per week between the two countries, and more than a million Pakistanis come here for tourism annually. 
On the economic front, Ambassador Khan said the balance of trade is highly titled in the UAE's favour. He said the tune of trade is around $7 billion, with Pakistan's exports touching $800 million, and the UAE exporting goods amounting to more than $6.2 billion. He said remittances account for a staggering $4 billion annually, and serves as an economic lifeline for the economy. "Special efforts are underway to promote banking and money exchange channels, so that money-laundering measures could be curbed."
On a note of content, His Excellency remarked that much more up-gradation is in the offing, and said that high-profile visits are in the pipeline. He recalled that the newly-elected Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was part of an exhaustive energy summit in Abu Dhabi recently, so was the new Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif engaged at IRENA. "Defence and military cooperation between the two countries is another feather in our relationship, and Pakistan's focal role in Defence Expo is a case in point."
- mehkri@khaleejtimes.com
Message from Ambassador Moazzam Ahmad Khan
"On the occasion of Pakistan's Independence Day, I wish to convey to my fellow citizens in the UAE heartiest felicitations. In our onward march, 14th August 2017 marks a special milestone. Pakistan has turned 70, an age that connotes maturity borne out of experience. Even though in the history of nations, 70 years is but a flicker of time, it does signify in our context, the coming of age of a nation that was birthed in the face of existential challenges, and has confronted and surmounted tremendous odds. From its creation in the middle of the 20th century right through to the advent of the 21st, Pakistan has been at the epicentre of transformative global geopolitical ?trends, and has played a seminal role in shaping and reshaping the currents ?and crosscurrents.  
We have much to be proud of. Pakistan has not only survived but also thrived. We can take satisfaction in the fact that today, in terms of purchasing power parity, our country is among the top 30 economies of the world, and well poised for a take off that will see it rapidly scale the heights of its true and ?myriad potentials. 
An integral aspect of Pakistan's 70-year journey has been the strong and sustained partnerships it has forged and fostered along the way. We have been lucky to have sincere friends that have added to our strengths and aided us in times of trial and tribulation. Salient among them, I count the UAE. Since its founding in 1971, the UAE leadership and people have harboured a special affection and affinity for Pakistan, a sentiment that has always been felt and reciprocated in equal measure by the Pakistani people and leadership."