What Did Not Change
Ranking 98th still means Pakistani citizens face systemic barriers to high-value destinations. Europe, North America, the UK, and most of East Asia remain heavily gated. The same week that passport rankings were being discussed, reports emerged of the United States freezing immigrant visa processing for several countries, including Pakistan—a reminder that passport strength and consular access are different instruments.
Passport indices measure potential access. Visa freezes measure political appetite. The former can improve while the latter contracts.
The Structural Reality
Pakistan’s improvement signals compliance progress, not leverage. Countries that climb sustainably do so by reducing overstays, stabilizing governance signals, and embedding mobility into diplomacy as a long-term objective. Countries that plateau do so because mobility is treated as symbolism rather than infrastructure.
This is why optimism must be conditional. Momentum exists, but it has a ceiling unless backed by:
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Consistent travel compliance data
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Predictable foreign policy signaling
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Administrative capacity at missions abroad
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Bilateral mobility agreements with economically relevant states
Without these, future gains will be marginal and reversible.
