The toughest job in Pakistan today is what my distant relative Miftah Ismail has. His foremost aim is to try to make sure that the rupee does not further depreciate than it already has. Unfortunately he has no control over many factors. The dollar has appreciated against all major currencies in recent days, the Euro has fallen and is now equal to a dollar, so that is one thing that has affected the rupee, as most of our trade is done in dollars.
As if all this wasn't enough, the UAE government has imposed a Pakistan-specific condition on visitors from Pakistan. This does not apply to any other country. All the 4,000 Pakistanis visiting Dubai daily will have to take with them 5,000 dirhams (about US$ 1,360) with them. This means that about five million dollars every day are flowing out of the country for no reason at all (almost two billion dollars a year). Unfortunately, despite this tough condition, Pakistanis continue to visit Dubai (which in my opinion is the least attractive tourist destination). How can poor Miftah Ismail handle this kind of situation, particularly as Pakistanis also take away dollars when they visit other tourist destinations (like Turkey, for instance). Add to that the dollars required to visit the Holy Land.
In this situation, Pakistanis should not to be allowed to go abroad unless it's absolutely necessary.
Post a Comment