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UK’s Reform party pledges visa ban affecting Afghanistan and five other states
The British political party Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, is set to impose a blanket visa ban on Afghanistan and five other countries — including Pakistan — as part of its proposed crackdown on illegal migration and states refusing to accept deported nationals.
In a speech set for Monday, the party’s newly appointed “shadow” home secretary, Zia Yusuf, will outline plans to halt all visas for diplomats, students, workers, VIPs and tourists from Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan. Reform says these governments fail to cooperate in accepting back deported migrants and convicted criminals.
Pakistan received more than 160,000 UK visas last year, making it one of the biggest visa recipients. However, British officials say Islamabad accepts back only a small fraction of rejected asylum seekers and has resisted pressure to take back individuals convicted in high-profile criminal cases.
The move – which mirrors US President Donald Trump’s visa ban on 75 countries – would be a key element in Reform’s strategy to deport up to 288,000 illegal migrants from the UK on five charter flights a day.
On legal migration, Yusuf will say a Reform government would terminate all welfare payments to foreign nationals, including the 1.3 million currently receiving UC, up from around 900,000 in 2022.
Yusuf is expected to say that years of weak immigration enforcement have undermined public trust and that a Reform government would secure Britain’s borders and make people feel safe.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate, met on Wednesday with a delegation of Bangladeshi religious scholars, traders, and industrialists to discuss the expansion of relations and cooperation between the two countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that during the meeting, Muttaqi emphasized the investment and trade opportunities available in Afghanistan and considered strengthening political, economic, and cultural engagement between the two countries essential in this regard.
According to the statement, the Bangladeshi delegation also expressed satisfaction with its visit to Afghanistan and the current situation in the country, and voiced optimism about the available investment and trade opportunities.
The members of the delegation said that relations between Afghanistan and Bangladesh could be further expanded through constructive engagement between the peoples and governments of the two countries.
Afghanistan’s Economy Minister Din Mohammad Hanif on Wednesday met with a delegation of Bangladeshi scholars, traders, industrialists and investors to discuss expanding economic and trade relations between the two countries.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Economy, Hanif welcomed the Bangladeshi delegation during the meeting and highlighted investment opportunities in agriculture, mining, industry, energy, domestic production, transit and trade.
He said expanding economic ties with regional countries, increasing trade and attracting foreign investment are key priorities of Afghanistan’s economic policy.
Hanif added that stronger economic cooperation between Afghanistan and Bangladesh could help boost bilateral trade and investment, create jobs, increase domestic production and expand Afghanistan’s exports in the medium and long term.
Members of the Bangladeshi delegation expressed interest in expanding trade and investment with Afghanistan and shared proposals on potential areas of cooperation.
The two sides also called for stronger ties between the private sectors of both countries and greater direct engagement among traders, industrialists and investors to identify new areas of economic cooperation.
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