British High Commissioner to Pakistan: Robert Brinkley CMG

Deputy High Commissioner: Ray Kyles

Political Section

Political Section is responsible for liaison between the governments of Pakistan and the UK. Its work covers the whole range of the relationship between our two countries: counter-terrorism, migration, conflict prevention, judicial co-operation, climate change, economic co-operation, human rights and democracy.

Political Section is also responsible for monitoring the political situation in Pakistan.  It aims to keep in touch with all political parties both in and out of Government, as well as civil society.

Press & Public Affairs Section

Press and Public Affairs Section (PAPAS) is the public face of the British High Commission.  

We run the High Commission’s newsroom, dealing with enquiries from journalists on all aspects of the High Commission’s activities and UK Government policy.  We also send out press releases on stories of interest to the Pakistani media, arrange interviews with the High Commissioner and visiting British officials, and organise briefings and press conferences.  To find out more, please visit the newsroom.

In addition, PAPAS is responsible for the popular Chevening scholarship and fellowship programmes and other public diplomacy programmes.  We have recently run campaigns against illegal migration and produced a documentary on the UK’s response to the devastating 2005 earthquake.

We also maintain the British High Commission website: we would very interested in any feedback.

Visa Section

The British High Commission’s Visa Section regulates migration to, and settlement in, the UK from Pakistan on behalf of the UK Border Agency.  Its staff are responsible for assessing applications for UK visas on the basis of the evidence submitted and the UK Government’s immigration rules.  The Visa Section at the British High Commission in Islamabad is one of the busiest in the world, having processed more than 180,000 visa applications in 2007.

The Visa Section works in partnership with Gerry’s International to offer one of the best visa services of any Western mission in Islamabad.  Gerry’s International operate our four Visa Application Centres and our visa enquiries service.  They do not play any part in, nor can they influence the outcome of, your visa application. If any member of staff employed by Gerry’s International claim to be able to influence your application you should inform the British High Commission.

You can find out whether you need a visa, how to apply, and the latest visa fees through the Gerry’s International website.

Consular Section

Consular Section provides services to British citizens in living or travelling in Pakistan.

The Assistance Unit is responsible for advising and helping British nationals in distress in Punjab, the North West Frontier Province, the Northern Areas and Pakistan-Administered Kashmir, whether they are prisoners, have fallen ill, or suffered a bereavement or accident.  However, the assistance that can be provided to dual nationals is limited.  Much of their work is helping victims of forced marriage, in which a British national has been forced into a marriage in Pakistan against his or her will; the Unit deals with over 100 cases each year.  You can find out more about what the Consular Section can do to help you – and what they cannot do – here.  British nationals in distress in Baluchistan and Sindh are the responsibility of the British Deputy High Commission Karachi.

The Passport Unit issues passports to British nationals resident in Pakistan, whether they are first time applicants or need their existing passport renewed.  The Passport Unit handles passport applications from the whole of Pakistan; the British Deputy High Commission Karachi no longer accepts passport applications.

Defence Section

The Defence Section is responsible for all aspects of the long-standing and close defence relationship between the UK and Pakistan.

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI)

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI)’s role is to improve the performance of UK businesses through access to export and investment opportunities in Pakistan and to encourage Pakistani companies to trade with the UK.

The hub of UKTI’s trade and investment activity in Pakistan takes place at the British Deputy High Commission Karachi.  There are also UKTI staff at the British Trade Office Lahore.

International Pension Service Office (IPSO)

The IPSO is funded and tasked by the International Pension Centre (IPC) in Newcastle upon Tyne.  The office assists applicants who have previously worked in the UK (and their spouses and widows) make their initial claims to State Pension or Bereavement Benefit.  The office also conducts “pensions clinics” at local banks with a high volume of UK pensioners and acts as the liaison point between pensioners, their banks and IPC so as to assist pensioners with payment difficulties

Telephone: 051 201 2372 and 051 201 2345.
Fax: 051 201 2033.
Email: Pension.Enquiries-Pakistan@fco.gov.uk

Department for International Development (DFID)

The Department for International Development (DFID) is the part of the UK Government that manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty.

DFID Pakistan published its Country Assistance Plan (CAP) in February 2005. Drawing on Pakistan’s own poverty reduction plans, it identifies three outcomes that have provided a focus for the UK's development relationship with Pakistan over the last three years:

• increased incomes for the poor;
• improved service delivery of education, health and population services to the poor;
• greater accountability of the state to its citizens.

Apart from assistance to federal (national) programmes, DFID is concentrating its assistance on two provinces at present: Punjab and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).  In taking this decision, we considered need (population size and poverty levels), working relationships and the size and scope of other donors' programmes.

In 2006, the UK and Pakistan signed a 10-year Development Partnership Arrangement and the UK announced a doubling of aid for the period 2008-2011 to £480 million.  Since then, DFID has begun a programme of consultation with other government departments, civil society, academics, MPs and the general public in the UK and Pakistan on how this new money will inform the Country Plan and spending priorities.  We will be publishing our new Country Plan in the second half of 2008.

For more information on the work of DFID Pakistan, please visit our website at www.dfid.gov.uk/countries/asia/pakistan.asp.

Management Section

The Management Section is responsible for the running of the High Commission, including human resources, accounts, procurement, IT, security, and the maintenance of the High Commission estate.