SOURCE : NEW18 NEWS
Last Updated:May 19, 2025, 16:29 IST
As per the official figures, Saudi Arabia led the deportations with the highest number of individuals sent back to Pakistan primarily for begging, followed by Iraq.
This deportation spree adds fuel to an already burning issue — Pakistan’s growing reputation as a “global hub” for organised begging.
In a development that has severely dented Pakistan’s global image, the country’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi told the National Assembly that over 5,400 Pakistanis have been deported from Gulf and West Asian nations since January 2024 — primarily for begging.
In 2024 alone, 4,850 were deported from these countries, while 552 returned to Pakistan.
Recommended Stories
As per the official figures, Saudi Arabia led the deportations with the highest number of individuals sent back, followed by Iraq, which expelled 247 Pakistanis. The United Arab Emirates, which had earlier flagged serious concerns and tightened visa norms for Pakistani nationals, deported 58 people during this period. Other countries that contributed to the deportation numbers include Malaysia, Oman, and Qatar.
This deportation spree adds fuel to an already burning issue — Pakistan’s growing reputation as a “global hub” for organized begging. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, addressing the matter with surprising candour, acknowledged that the problem has become so severe that it is now affecting the ability of ordinary Pakistanis to secure visas abroad. He estimated that a staggering 22 million Pakistanis are engaged in begging activities, contributing to an unofficial economy worth around $40 billion.
The figures not only shocked the parliament but also echoed concerns raised in previous forums. In 2023, during a Senate committee session, then Secretary of the Overseas Ministry Zulfiqar Haider revealed that nearly 90 per cent of those arrested for begging overseas were Pakistani nationals. He added that many travel on pilgrimage visas — particularly to Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq — but end up engaging in organized begging instead.
The issue has not gone unnoticed by Pakistan’s neighbours either. India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently made a scathing comment, ridiculing Pakistan’s economic situation by calling it a “nation of beggars”. His remarks followed the IMF’s release of a $1.023 billion bailout package to Pakistan and came amid heightened tensions after the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor.
Ironically, this is not the first time a top Pakistani leader has acknowledged the problem. A few years ago, then-opposition leader and current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had admitted that Pakistanis were perceived as beggars even in friendly countries. That statement, once seen as hyperbole, now appears grimly prophetic.
On social media, reactions ranged from outrage to mockery. A user quipped, “Pakistani beggars — the real business model of a failed state,” while another wrote, “Panhandling seems to be Pakistan’s top export now.”
- First Published:
May 19, 2025, 16:29 IST
