Pakistan-UK relationship. When will Pakistanis have the right to live in Great Britain?

Pakistan-UK relationship, spanning over 70 years, has only strengthened over time. This growing strength can only be defined by the Pakistani community that resides in Great Britain. The UK is home to the largest Pakistani community in Europe, similar to the Pakistani diaspora in Saudi Arabia. Britain can account for 2% of its population to trace its roots back to Pakistan. British Pakistani have a significant contribution to the economic, social, academic, cultural and political fabric of the country. Furthermore, 12 members of the House of Commons are Pakistani which then acts as a connecting bridge between the two nations.

The British deputy high commissioner Richard Crowder stated that the Pakistani-UK relationship is nothing but “friendly and deep”.

Pakistan and the United Kingdom have a shared interest in evolving global geopolitical and geo-economic environment. Both countries have stakes in the UN and the Commonwealth. Pakistan became a part of the Commonwealth of Nations when it became independent on 14th August 1947. Pakistan is a part of this coalition of nations along with India. It cannot be argued that India was favored by the British during partition and the facts are rooted in history. Pakistan always makes efforts to improve its relations with Great Britain in order to counter India.

UK’s diplomatic mission in Pakistan is one of the largest in the world and the value of DFID (Department for international development)  investment will be over a billion pounds by 2021.  The British council schools and training institutes play their part in the overall plan for the UK’s investment in education in Pakistan and have integrated themselves in the Pakistani education system.

This system creates ambitious candidates that constitute most of the international outflow of students from Pakistan, mostly to Britain. These candidates after completing their education continue to live and work in the UK through which a foundation for settlement is laid, for their families, in Great Britain. This entire process adds to the immigration process, family units from a developing country such as Pakistan aspire to live in the UK, and their children who study or work there become their means of respite. The already existing Pakistani diaspora in the UK helps integrate these newcomers which then positively contribute to the overall society of the United Kingdom.

There was a strict policy towards various countries in the EU immigration rules which caused several problems for Pakistani nationals, but post-Brexit hopes to provide several opportunities to Pakistanis. With the UK looking to renew its global partnerships; including free trade agreements with newly emerging and growing economies, the UK being one of Pakistan's biggest trading partners in Europe Pakistan can expect a boost in trade relations and policies that further ease the process of immigration in the future. With the recent relaxation of travel guidelines for Pakistan by the UK, the prime minister of Pakistan tweeted;

"This is great news as it will address two most important economic issues facing Pak today: employment & our current account deficit, by bringing in tourism & investment which in turn will provide employment opportunities especially for our youth".

AM