Despite its boasting on the international stage, Pakistan continues to face global embarrassment. Struggling with economic distress, Pakistanis have been found begging in wealthy Islamic countries of the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Despite warnings from these nations, Pakistan has been unable to curb its begging problem. Recently, Saudi Arabia has deported approximately 56,000 Pakistanis accused of begging.
Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have repeatedly warned Pakistan to control its beggars. Under pressure, Pakistan has placed thousands of its citizens on a no-fly list, barring them from leaving the country. Reports indicate that in 2025, Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), prevented 66,154 travelers from boarding flights in an effort to halt organized begging rings from going abroad.
Just last month, the UAE stopped issuing visas to most Pakistani citizens, citing participation in begging and criminal activities in Gulf countries as the rationale behind this move.
These figures were released by a committee within Pakistan's National Assembly when thousands of people were put on the Exit Control List or the no-fly list. Last year, Saudi Arabia urged Pakistan to curb individuals who abused the Umrah visa by traveling to Mecca and Medina to beg.
Several gangs in Pakistan send beggars to Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Umrah visas to solicit alms. Some Pakistani citizens have also been implicated in criminal activities in Gulf countries, making it harder for pilgrims, workers, and students from Pakistan to obtain visas as nations like Saudi Arabia and the UAE become more hesitant to issue them.
In an article published by 'The News International', the FIA's chief, Riffat Mukhtar, revealed that 56,000 Pakistanis involved in organized begging have been deported from Saudi Arabia.
And according to The Express Tribune, the FIA has offloaded 66,154 travelers this year to prevent begging rings and illegal migrants from leaving the country.
Mukhtar stated that networks of illegal immigration and begging have severely damaged Pakistan's global image. For years, Pakistani beggars have been seen abusing pilgrimage and tourist visas, begging on the streets of Middle Eastern cities, and causing concerns in host countries, resulting in stricter visa scrutiny for legitimate travelers from Pakistan.
In 2024, the Saudi Ministry of Religious Affairs warned that if the situation remained uncontrolled, it could affect Pakistani pilgrims' ability to undertake Umrah and Hajj. The presence of Pakistani beggars on Saudi streets is evident to all.
In 2024, an Islamabad resident, Usman, took to the social media platform X to share, 'I just returned from Umrah, and I feel ashamed of being Pakistani. Those (Pakistani beggars) are inside the Bin Dawood store, during Umrah, on the streets, begging.'
Notably, many of these beggars are professionals who move out of Pakistan after obtaining visas.
In a piece for the Pakistani daily Dawn, legal expert Rafia Zakaria had previously written about Pakistanis observing their compatriots stationed outside the sacred sites of Mecca and Medina, pestering foreign pilgrims for money. She described these beggars as master manipulators, exploiting the guilt of others to extract money.
This issue is not limited to Saudi Arabia, the country home to Islam's two holiest sites. Pakistani beggars can also be seen in several West Asian nations, including the UAE, Kuwait, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain. In 2024, Zeeshan Khanzada, Secretary for Overseas Pakistanis, stated that 90% of beggars detained in West Asian countries were Pakistani.
While this has tarnished the reputation of Pakistanis abroad, it has also had adverse effects on those seeking employment. This 'export' of beggars not only frustrates countries like Saudi Arabia but negatively impacts law-abiding Pakistanis, who now face strict visa checks and visa rejections.
