Saudi Arabia and UAE have increased strictness on Pakistani citizens due to allegations of begging and criminal activities. Saudi deported 24 thousand Pakistanis, while UAE imposed visa restrictions, which has caused international insult to Pakistan.
New Delhi. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have tightened surveillance on Pakistani citizens amid growing concerns over begging and criminal activities abroad. Saudi Arabia alone has expelled 24,000 Pakistanis from the country this year on begging charges. At the same time, UAE has imposed visa restrictions on most Pakistani citizens. The UAE has expressed concern that some people were getting involved in criminal activities after coming to the country.
66,154 Pakistani passengers were deboarded from the plane
Pakistani officials say that this action of Saudi Arabia and UAE is causing serious damage to the international image of the country. According to data from Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), in 2025 authorities deplaned 66,154 passengers at the airport in an effort to dismantle organized begging gangs and stop illegal migration.
Network of beggars harmed Pakistan’s image
FIA Director General Rifat Mukhtar said that these networks are damaging the image of Pakistan. He told that this pattern is not limited to Gulf countries only. He said that similar cases related to travel to Africa and Europe have come to light. Besides, cases of misuse of tourist visas for destinations like Cambodia and Thailand have also come to light.
Which country sent back how many Pakistani beggars in 2025?
According to Rifat Mukhtar, Saudi Arabia deported 24,000 Pakistanis this year on charges of begging. Dubai sent back around 6,000 people, while Azerbaijan deported around 2,500 Pakistani beggars.
Saudi Arabia appealed not to send beggars
Let us tell you that in 2024, Saudi Arabia had formally requested Pakistan to stop beggars from using Umrah visa to go to Mecca and Medina to beg. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs had warned at that time that if this trend was not stopped, there could be adverse consequences for Pakistani Umrah and Hajj pilgrims. Rafia Zakaria, a legal expert and lawyer in Pakistan, had described begging as not an act of compulsion but an organized business.
Begging business is flourishing in Pakistan
Zakaria had said in an article written in Dawn, one industry in Pakistan which seems to be very organized and has been quite successful in providing work to its people, is the business of begging. It has been so successful that now it has started spreading to other countries also. He added, “As many Pakistanis would have witnessed firsthand during Hajj, these beggars set up their shops outside the holy sites in Mecca and Medina, where they harass foreign pilgrims for money. Just like they do to shoppers in the markets of Pakistan.