Qatar is a beautiful country that is known for being one of the richest countries in the world. However, one of the fascinating facts about Qatar is that the population of actual Qataris living on the land is approximately 12%, and the rest of the population is made up of expatriates. Most of those expatriates belong to the South Asian region which includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan, “Qatar is home to more than 200,000 Pakistanis, who are contributing to the progress, prosperity, and economic development of the two brotherly countries.” The overseas Pakistani population in Qatar is the fourth-largest and makes up about 5% of the whole Qatari population.
As these two countries share brotherly and cordial relations that are also steadily growing stronger with time, the governments of both countries focus on creating more employment opportunities between the countries. It was announced in 2015 that “100,000 Pakistani workers would be recruited to work on infrastructure projects that are taking place in the country as part of the preparations for hosting the 2022 World Cup and other projects.”
On one hand, according to their soft visa policy, visit and transit visas can be granted at the airport to Pakistani nationals among other nationals for Qatar, which means one doesn’t really need a visa to travel to Qatar from Pakistan and can stay for an unlimited amount of time. On the other hand, work and employment visa policies don’t work the same way, the reason being Gulf countries’ laws and regulations.
Pakistan and Qatar are determined to improve and enhance bilateral relations and cultural exchanges. In recent news, “a team of Pakistani truck artists has painted a traditional truck art mural in Qatar as part of a special global artist initiative from the Qatar Museum ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022. The mural measures around 23×33 feet and has been painted at the Al Mansoura Metro Station.”
Qatar is considered one of the safest countries to live in. It is one of the most urbanized countries in the world, with 99% of the population living in cities. The country famously attracts a lot of tourism with its extravagant skyscrapers and modern architecture inspired by historical Arabic culture, natural reserves, historic forts, international resorts, five-star hotels, public parks, restaurants, and malls. Especially now, as the country is getting ready to host the FIFA World Cup 2022.