Pakistan has imposed a five to ten-year passport ban on deported individuals involved in overseas begging, with authorities revealing that thousands of passports have already been blocked.
It should be noted that the government launched a broad crackdown last year on what it termed a “beggar mafia,” accusing certain individuals of misusing visas to solicit money in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries.
Saudi Arabia has deported over 56,000 Pakistani nationals, largely identified as members of organized “beggar mafias” exploiting Umrah and visit visas.
Eelier, the Saudi government lodged an official complaint with authorities in Islamabad which led to the formation of a task force of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to address the issue.
Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain said authorities were targeting those who travel abroad on Umrah and other visit visas but engage in begging, particularly in Gulf states.
He explained that such individuals obtain visas through regular procedures and only later become involved in illicit activities.
Hussain said that passports of deported offenders are being blocked to prevent repeat travel, reporting a major decline in such cases as a result.
According to him, the FIA has imposed passport restrictions ranging from five to 10 years on those found involved, with several thousand passports blocked so far.
