Pakistan’s ambassador to China has revealed that visa-free access to his country for Hong Kong residents would “happen soon”, while also urging the city government to review its decade-old red travel alert for the South Asian nation.
Khalil Hashmi, speaking exclusively to the Post during his second visit to the city as ambassador to China, said his country hoped to boost business and tourism from Hong Kong with the visa-free access.
“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.” Hashmi said. “We want people from Hong Kong to come and see what Pakistan has to offer.”
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When asked about the timeline for the arrangement, the envoy only said it would “happen soon”.
Hong Kong cancelled its visa-free access for Pakistani nationals in 2003, and Hashmi said his country’s move did not hinge on a reciprocal arrangement. But he said he hoped Pakistan’s step would encourage Hong Kong to follow suit “in time”.
Hashmi maintained the visa arrangement for Hong Kong residents would generate new business for Pakistan through investment and trade, as well as promote tourism.
The ambassador also said it was time for Hong Kong to engage in a “serious review” of its red outbound travel alert issued for Pakistan in 2014, arguing the context for the warning had changed in the intervening decade.
The alert, the second-highest, advises residents to adjust their travel plans or avoid non-essential trips to the country in question. In 2014, Pakistan suffered a series of deadly attacks, which included an assault on a military-run school in Peshawar, near the border with Afghanistan, which killed 149 people including 132 children.
“I think this kind of advisory has been in place since 2014. It is time to review it,” Hashmi said. “Things or policies are set or developed in a particular context, that context has changed for the most part.”
Hashmi said Pakistan had “come a long way” in the past decade, arguing his country has sacrificed a lot to tackle the country’s security issues.
He said he believed that a system that marked parts of the country with a red travel alert and others as safe would be “sensible”, noting Pakistan was a big country.
The ambassador did not reveal whether he had raised the issue with the Hong Kong government during his current visit.
City leader John Lee Ka-chiu has embarked on visits to Asean countries and the Middle East since taking office, and the envoy said he was “very keen” to have Lee visit Pakistan, noting his country would be “very pleased” to welcome him.
While much work would need to be done to prepare for the trip, Hashmi said his government hoped to make any such visit “as productive as possible”.
Through such a trip, his government hoped to show Hong Kong that Pakistan represented a big market for the city and greater interaction would be “mutually rewarding” for both places.
He also pointed to Pakistan’s natural environment, heritage, culture and cuisine as a draw for tourists.
Hashmi, who attended the city’s ninth Belt and Road Summit during his two-day visit, said he looked forward to his next trip to Hong Kong, when he could hopefully meet members of the financial and professional services sector.
“This is an area of focus for me to talk to these people, leverage some of the opportunities that exist, as well as encourage some of the organisations, businesses and individuals to consider Pakistan as a potential market,” he said.
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