KUWAIT CITY, June 23: Pakistani Ambassador to Kuwait Zafar Iqbal expressed pride in the strong and active Pakistani community residing in Kuwait, stressing that Pakistanis around the world continue to contribute significantly to their homeland through remittances. In a press statement, Iqbal affirmed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia remain the largest sources of remittances to Pakistan due to their sizable Pakistani populations. He was quick to add, though, that Kuwait also plays a vital role. “Between July 2024 and April 2025 alone, Pakistan received $718 million in remittances from Kuwait. If this figure is divided by the number of Pakistanis here -- estimated at 93,000 -- Kuwait ranks first globally in terms of remittances per capita from Pakistani communities abroad. This is the highest per capita remittance rate among all countries with Pakistani expatriates,” he added, citing publicly available data from the State Bank of Pakistan. He then explained that population estimates used for these calculations were provided by the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and that the comparison strictly focused on remittances from Pakistani communities, not other nationalities such as Indians, Bangladeshis or Egyptians.

On the possible arrival of additional Pakistani healthcare workers, he confirmed that “the deployment of Pakistani medical and healthcare personnel to Kuwait is an ongoing process. We continue to provide support based on the staffing needs communicated by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health.” When asked about the status of visa issuance for Pakistanis, Iqbal stated that “as of May 1, visa procedures for Pakistani nationals have been facilitated. We look forward to seeing more professionals from Pakistan join the Kuwaiti labor market and meet the needs of local companies.”