Saudi Arabia, UAE tighten checks on Pakistanis over begging, criminal activity concerns
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have tightened scrutiny of Pakistani nationals amid growing concerns over organised begging and criminal activities abroad, a trend Pakistani authorities acknowledge is damaging the country’s international image, media reports said.
Saudi Arabia alone deported around 24,000 Pakistani nationals this year on allegations of begging, while the UAE has imposed visa restrictions on most Pakistani citizens, citing concerns that some individuals were engaging in criminal activities after entering the country.
Data from Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) highlights the scale of the issue. In 2025, authorities offloaded more than 66,000 passengers at Pakistani airports as part of efforts to dismantle organised begging syndicates and curb illegal migration, reports said.
FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar said such networks were causing serious reputational harm to Pakistan. He noted that the problem is not limited to Gulf countries, with similar cases detected involving travel to Africa and Europe, as well as the misuse of tourist visas for destinations such as Cambodia and Thailand, NDTV World reported.
According to Mukhtar, Dubai deported nearly 6,000 Pakistani nationals this year, while Azerbaijan sent back around 2,500 individuals accused of begging.
The issue had already drawn attention from Saudi authorities last year.
In 2024, Riyadh formally urged Pakistan to prevent the misuse of Umrah visas by beggars travelling to Mecca and Medina to solicit alms. Saudi officials warned that failure to address the issue could have repercussions for Pakistani Umrah and Hajj pilgrims.
Legal experts in Pakistan have also flagged the problem. Writing in Dawn last year, lawyer Rafia Zakaria described begging as a highly organised industry rather than an act driven by desperation.
She noted that Pakistani beggars have increasingly expanded their operations abroad, including outside holy sites in Makkah and Madinah.
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