Pakistan Embarrassed, Bans Beggars From Travelling Abroad: Where Are Most Heading? Explained

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Already grappling with chronic debt, Pakistan is now dealing with another embarrassment on the global stage – its citizens travelling abroad to beg, further tarnishing the country's image. To tackle this problem and amid thousands of its citizens being held and deported from other countries, the Pakistani government has banned professional beggars and citizens with incomplete documents from travelling abroad.

In a statement announcing the government's decision to ban beggars from travelling abroad, Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said“professional beggars and people travelling with incomplete documents will not be allowed to go abroad.”

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Mohsin Naqvi also asserted that maintaining dignity of his country was one of his top priorities, warning strict action against anyone who bring a bad name to the nation.

But the problem of its citizens travelling to foreign countries to beg isn't new that Pakistan has confronted. Last year, the Pakistani government put a seven-year ban on passports of 2,000 'beggars' who have travelled to countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia on the pretext of performing religious activities, but did not return.

In fact, last year, as many as 90 per cent beggars who were apprehended in other countries were Pakistanis.

A report published in 2018 in Centre for Business and Society in Pakistan mentioned that in the country,“begging was found to be a lucrative profession where a person could earn more than an unskilled labourer with relatively lesser effort.”

Pakistani beggars being deported from across world?

Geo News has recently reported that thousands of Pakistanis have been deported from different countries for begging, while 66,154 passengers were offloaded in 2025 as the neighbouring country cracks down on professional beggars flying to other countries to beg.

Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told National Assembly Standing Committee that in 2025,“155 Pakistanis have been facing daily deportation from various countries. In the past eleven months, approximately 52,000 Pakistanis have been expelled from 41 countries.”

Which country has deported the most beggars?

While Pakistani beggars have been reported across several countries, Saudi Arabia has emerged as the most desired destination for begging, recording the highest number of deportations. Saudi Arabia had the highest rate of deportations, sending back 24,000 individuals for begging.

And with 1 Saudi Riyal equalling 74 Pakistani Rupees could be another reason why many Pakistani beggars have increasingly travelled to Saudi Arabia this year as their prefered destination for begging.

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The UAE also deported 6,000 Pakistanis on similar grounds, while around 2,500 beggars were expelled from Azerbaijan, Agha Rafiullah who chaired the committee mentioned.

Several of them have also attempted to fly to European countries under the guise of Umrah – an Islamic pilgrimage – but were intercepted by the authorities.

“Those passengers were denied entry based on evidence,” the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General, Riffat Mukhtar Raja, said.

Earlier in January this year, over 200 Pakistanis were deported from several countries, including Saudi Arabia and the US, in the past week, Geo News reported on Wednesday. According to Geo News, these deportations stem from a variety of issues such as visa violations, legal problems, and human trafficking.

Some never returned...

The committee was also informed that as many as 12,000 Pakistanis who travelled to Cambodia have not returned, while 2,500 on tourist visa in Myanmar did not come back, Geo News reported.

The FIA chief remarked that enhanced controls had raised Pakistan's passport ranking from 118 to 92, highlighting that the country was previously among the top five nations for illegal migration, but had improved its standing due to updated policies.

He also mentioned a decrease in illegal migration to Europe, with 4,000 Pakistanis travelling illegally this year, compared to 8,000 last year. The FIA DG conveyed that Dubai and Germany had made official passports visa-free, and an e-immigration application is set to launch by mid-January, as reported by Geo News.

(With agency inputs)

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