'A stunning feat,' say Pakistani netizens as country's passport ranks fourth worst globally

Pakistan's passport has been ranked as the fourth worst in the world, according to a report by the global citizenship and residence advisory company Henley & Partners, which sparked an outrage among the country's netizens. 

The report, which was released on Wednesday, highlighted that until January this year, Pakistani passport holders had access to 35 countries with an on-arrival visa facility, which has now decreased to 33. This places Pakistan at the 100 position among 227 countries rated on the index, which measures the number of destinations accessible without a prior visa.

India stands at the 80th position on the list, with 57 countries offering on-arrival visa facilities to Indian passport holders. 

Meanwhile, Singapore has claimed the top spot on the index, possessing the most powerful passport globally. Singaporean citizens enjoy visa-free access to at least 193 destinations out of a total of 227. Japan, which had been leading the list for the past five years, now shares the third position with South Korea, Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, and Sweden, with access to 189 visa-free destinations.

While Asia has traditionally dominated the rankings, Europe is making a comeback, with Germany, Italy, and Spain climbing to the second spot, providing visa-free access to 190 destinations. In contrast, the United States and the United Kingdom have witnessed a decline in their rankings. Britain has shown improvement, moving up to the fourth position, while the US ranking has dropped to eighth place, with access to 183 visa-free destinations.

Netizens erupted in criticism of the Pakistani government and authorities for bad management of the country as a whole.

One user wrote, “One of the important reasons #Pakistani passport is ranking so weak is their link with terrorism. Also, around 1/4th of the Pakistani population live below the poverty line which is another reason their passport is considered among the worst.”

The Henley Passport Index, which regularly updates rankings based on International Air Transport Association (IATA) data, assesses 199 passports. Over the years, the average number of visa-free destinations for traveler’s has nearly doubled, increasing from 58 in 2006 to 109. However, there remains a significant disparity in travel freedom between the top-ranked and bottom-ranked countries. Conflict-ridden nations such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria have the least travel privileges, with access to only 27, 29, and 30 destinations, respectively.

Henley & Partners stated that the overall trend in the ranking's history has been toward greater travel freedom, with travelers gaining access to a higher number of visa-free destinations.

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