Thousands of Pakistanis have been deported from various countries on charges of begging, it was revealed during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Rights.
The Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency informed the committee that 51,000 Pakistanis were offloaded from different countries during the current year. He stated that the highest number, 24,000 individuals, were deported from Saudi Arabia, followed by 6,000 from the United Arab Emirates and around 2,500 from Azerbaijan, most of whom were identified as beggars.
The DG FIA further said that individuals attempting to travel to Europe under the pretext of performing Umrah were offloaded with evidence. According to the briefing, 24,000 Pakistanis traveled to Cambodia this year, of whom 12,000 did not return. Similarly, out of 4,000 people who went to Myanmar on tourist visas, 2,500 failed to return.
He added that effective measures against illegal migration improved Pakistan’s passport ranking from 118 to 92. Previously, Pakistan was among the top five countries for illegal migration, but it has now dropped out of that list.
The DG FIA noted that 8,000 Pakistanis illegally traveled to Europe last year, whereas the number has reduced to 4,000 this year. Overall, Saudi Arabia deported 56,000 Pakistanis on charges related to begging.
The briefing also revealed that Pakistan’s ambassador in Zimbabwe reported illegal migration routes through Ethiopia and Zambia toward Europe. Additionally, a fake football club sent a team to Japan, including a physically disabled individual falsely presented as a football player.
