Pakistanis to get cool reception at embassy

Pakistan is remodelling its embassy in Abu Dhabi and its consulate in Dubai so that people coming for assistance may await their turns indoors, rather than outside in sweltering heat. "When people come for different things like visas and attestations they are sometimes outside," said Khurshid Ahmed Junejo, Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE. "We are making new different sections for them so that they can be in a comfortable room with seating."

After meeting with an architect this week, the ambassador said he hoped construction at the embassy in Al Mushrif and the consulate in Bur Dubai would be completed by August. There are no plans to employ new staff, he said. Mr Junejo said he had met UAE authorities to discuss protecting the 850,000 Pakistanis in the country from job cuts and had talked about extending their notice periods. He was also planning to meet some of the thousands of Pakistani property executives in the UAE, especially in Ajman, to discuss strategies to protect their investments during the global recession.

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