Mauritius Simplifies Visa | Unique Opportunities of Tourism , Blue Economy Investment
Pakistan Mauritius are working on Free Trade Agreement FTA to boost bilateral cooperation
Mauritius looking forward to high level visits from Pakistan reciprocally : High Commissioner
Interview : Tazeen Akhtar | Mustafa Khan | Camera : Raja Ghulam Farid
As we say that Pakistanis have a very small world, like Istanbul, Bangkok, Dubai and that is all. They do not know how attractive Mauritius is about which Mark Twain said ;
“Mauritius was made first, and then heaven; and heaven was copied after Mauritius.”
Published in Twain’s 1897 travel book, Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World. Twain did not invent the line himself; he recorded it as a sentiment expressed by a local islander during his 1896 visit. It is widely used to praise the stunning blue waters, white sands, and lush green views of the island nation.
Mauritius is an easily approachable, reasonably priced tourist destination that Pakistanis can explore while the visa process has also been simplified and you do not need to submit your passport for that.
As we have historical connections and a large number of commonalities with Mauritius, we interviewed the High Commissioner H.E Munsoo KURRIMBACCUS (Mansoor Kareem Bux) for the information and interest of our readers.
The high commissioner emphasized that Pakistanis may choose Mauritius at least once for their vacation. He was sure that , once in Mauritius, Pakistanis will be again and again in Mauritius because the beauty of our country captures everyone who visits there.”
” The visa process was taking many weeks earlier but now it is done in two weeks and there is no need to submit the original passport. Intending travelers can present a copy of the passport only. The Visa ratio is more than 90 %, High Commissioner gave good news for Pakistanis.
He shared the details of the attractions for the tourists and opportunities for the investors of Pakistan and invited them to visit his country and experience a new world in the center of the Indian Ocean.
The High Commissioner was very optimistic on fostering the relations and cooperation with Pakistan as both sides have many common things, shared history and similar traditions.
Among the commonalities , main is language as the most of the population of Mauritius consists of the people who migrated to Mauritius from United India before partition. That is why Mauritius currency name is also Rupya Rupee. Family traditions, hospitality, friendly neighborhood, participating in the joys and sorrows of the community and last but not the least the cuisine is the same to a large extent. That includes ” Biryani ” and the Biryani in Mauritius brings water in the mouth with the first spoon tasted.
Both countries remained colonies and secured their independence from the foreign rule through a national struggle and emerged as free states in the comity of nations. Now both are working together and supporting each other at world fora like UN, Commonwealth and other.
Pigeons are important between the two countries and it is a commonality that does not exist in other countries with respect to Pakistan. A large number of Pakistanis keep pigeons as a hobby while Mauritius has the most rare species of pigeons that are pink in color. The high commissioner while speaking on the unique birds and plants of his country said, ” The species was about to go extinct when we started work on saving them. Now we have raised their number but still they need extra care.
On G2G relations, the High Commissioner detailed the high level visits of the leaders of Mauritius and sought the same level visits from Pakistan reciprocally.
The most prominent high-level state visit from Mauritius to Pakistan was conducted in April 2016 by the President of Mauritius, Dr. Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim, who undertook a four-day official tour at the invitation of Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain. She made subsequent high-profile return visits to Islamabad on special invitations by OIC-COMSTECH to participate in scientific and technological cooperation.
February 2011: A high-level Mauritian trade and policy delegation—headed by Foreign Secretary A.P. Neewoor and Director of Trade Policy Asad A. Bhuglah, alongside industry chambers—visited Pakistan to review and expand the operational scope of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).
October 2019: An 18-member commercial and business delegation comprising major Mauritian importers and trade council representatives traveled to Karachi, interacting with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to secure wholesale market linkages and partnerships.
April 2007: An agreement for the twinning of the city of Port Louis and Karachi was signed on 30 April in Karachi.
Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) was signed in July 2007 and was operational since November 2007, offering mutual tariff concessions on hundreds of items.Key Exports: Pakistan primarily exports rice, cereals, woven cotton, and textile goods to Mauritius but it is not existing now.
The H.C said that the Free Trade Agreement is now being discussed between the sides that will give a boost to bilateral trade. He mentioned his meeting with Coordinator to Prime Minister Pakistan on Industries Rana Ehsan Afzal in this regard.
” We held discussions to promote greater trade, facilitate market access, and generate mutual economic benefits for both countries. The meeting also discussed the importance of strengthening institutional engagement and promoting greater business-to-business interaction. Both sides exchanged views on the potential exchange of high-level delegations to further deepen economic cooperation and identify new avenues for trade and investment, H.E detailed.
The High Commissioner invited the business community of Pakistan and chambers of commerce to hold their conferences and other activities in Mauritius. He said, Mauritius has international level hotels and sites to host the conferences and tours for the businessmen and company level delegation meetings and vacations. He said, they are more than welcome to Mauritius where they can hold the annual award ceremonies alongwith heart catching tourism opportunities.
Regarding easy access to Mauritius , the High Commissioner said, flights are available from all connecting routes like Dubai, Istanbul, Doha and Addis Ababa.
Mr. Munsoo and family do not have home sickness in Pakistan. The reason is the same mentioned above , commonalities. Moreover he has another connection with Pakistan. His ancestors were from Peshawar, KP who first moved to Utter Pardesh in India and then made Mauritius their homeland.
The High Commissioner said, we feel in Pakistan as we are at home. He admired Pakistanis a lot. He said, we have never come across any Pakistani who was not polite and welcoming. He spoke highly about hospitality of Pakistanis and complained only one thing …………… that Pakistanis use oil too much in their food.
Pakistanis may consider the comment by H.C for their own good health.
