‘Congratulations to 50,000 Elite on Visa-Free Facility’: Rauf Klasra Mocks Pakistan-Saudi Agreement
ISLAMABAD: Senior journalist and analyst Rauf Klasra has sarcastically criticised the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia agreement waiving visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and official/special passports.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan signed the agreement on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22. The agreement applies to holders of diplomatic and official/special passports and is intended to facilitate official travel and institutional exchanges between the two countries.
Reacting to the development on social media platform X, Klasra sarcastically described it as a major achievement for what he referred to as the country’s “elite.”
He argued that political and bureaucratic elites were focused on securing benefits and privileges for themselves and their families, while ordinary Pakistanis continued to face difficulties obtaining visas for travel abroad.
سفارتی محاذ پر اسحاق ڈار کی بلیو/ریڈ پاسپورٹ رکھنے والے 50 ہزار سرکاری افسران، ارکان پارلیمنٹ،ان کے بیوی بچوں اور والدین تک کے لیے بہت بڑا کارنامہ۔
اب آپ کو پتہ چلا ارکان اسمبلی اور سرکاری افسران پچیس کروڑ پاکستانیوں کے لیے سبز پاسپورٹ لیکن اپنے لیے، بیوی، بچوں اور اب تو… https://t.co/iWV3oZS8VD
— Rauf Klasra (@KlasraRauf) September 22, 2026
Klasra said the agreement demonstrated, in his view, a disparity between the facilities available to holders of official or diplomatic passports and those available to ordinary Pakistani passport holders.
He sarcastically congratulated the “50,000 lucky” officials and their families, claiming that influential individuals disliked travelling on the ordinary green passport and sought blue or red passports and visa-free access around the world.
The agreement itself, however, specifically covers diplomatic and official/special passport holders from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia; available reports do not establish that 50,000 people or their family members will automatically receive visa-free access under the deal.
