Global Shame for Pakistan as Saudi Arabia Deports 24,000 Beggars After Warning to Islamabad

Saudi Arabia has deported thousands of Pakistani nationals this year amid a wider regional crackdown on organised begging and alleged criminal activity involving foreign visitors.

The action follows repeated warnings to Islamabad and has raised fresh concerns about Pakistan's global image and travel restrictions for its citizens.

Saudi Arabia Deports 24,000 Pakistanis Over Begging Allegations

According to Pakistani officials, Saudi Arabia alone has deported 24,000 Pakistanis in 2025 over allegations of begging. The issue is not limited to the Kingdom. The United Arab Emirates has also tightened visa norms for most Pakistani citizens, citing concerns that some individuals were engaging in criminal activities after entering the country.

Authorities in Pakistan acknowledge that these developments have strained relations with key Gulf nations and damaged the country's international reputation.

FIA Flags Organised Networks and Illegal Travel Routes

Data from the Federal Investigation Agency shows the scale of the challenge facing authorities. In 2025, as many as 66,154 passengers were offloaded at Pakistani airports in an effort to disrupt organised begging syndicates and curb illegal migration.

FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar said these networks were causing serious reputational harm to Pakistan. He added that the problem extends beyond the Gulf region, with similar cases detected involving travel to Africa and Europe. Authorities have also found instances of tourist visas being misused for destinations such as Cambodia and Thailand.

Mukhtar noted that besides Saudi Arabia, Dubai deported around 6,000 Pakistani nationals this year, while Azerbaijan sent back approximately 2,500 individuals on similar allegations.

Riyadh's Earlier Warning on Umrah and Hajj Visas

Saudi authorities had flagged the issue as early as last year. In 2024, Riyadh formally urged Pakistan to prevent beggars from misusing Umrah visas to travel to Mecca and Medina for alms. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Religious Affairs warned that failure to rein in the practice could have negative consequences for Pakistani Umrah and Hajj pilgrims.

The warning underscored growing frustration in the Kingdom over the presence of organised beggars near holy sites, an issue that officials said needed urgent corrective action from Pakistan.

Experts Say Begging Is a Structured Industry

Legal experts in Pakistan have also drawn attention to the organised nature of the problem. Writing in Dawn last year, lawyer Rafia Zakaria argued that begging operates as a well-structured enterprise rather than an act driven purely by desperation.

"One industry in Pakistan that seems to be very organised and has been quite successful in ensuring that its recruits have plenty to do is the begging industry. It is such a successful venture that it has now decided to start exporting to, and expanding in, other countries," she wrote.

She added, "As many Pakistanis may have seen for themselves during Haj, these beggars set up shop outside the holy places in Makkah and Madinah, where they harass foreign pilgrims for money just as they do shoppers in markets across Pakistan."

Government officials have echoed these concerns. In 2024, Secretary of Overseas Pakistanis Zeeshan Khanzada said that nearly 90 percent of beggars detained in West Asian countries were Pakistani nationals, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing authorities.