ISLAMABAD: Thousands of Pakistani beggars deported from several countries for the past year for their activities related to begging, it was disclosed during the meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Rights.

It is pertinent to note that the committee, led by Agha Rafiullah, was briefed by the Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) about the alarming statistics of the problem and measures being taken by the government to halt illegal migration.

Pakistani beggars deported

As per FIA, over 51,000 Pakistani nationals were offloaded or deported from different countries this year. The country with the highest deportation figure is Saudi Arabia, with over 24,000 Pakistani nationals deported for the crime of begging. The second country is the United Arab Emirates, which deported over 6,000 Pakistani nationals, while Azerbaijan follows with over 2,500 Pakistani beggars.

The FIA head told the committee that people who attempted to exploit the religious travels have also been dealt with by the concerned authority. Some passengers were removed from the plane after it was found out that they intended to go to Europe by claiming to go to Umrah, while possessing travel papers for other destinations in Europe.

Missing Migrants Raise Serious Concerns

The commission was also told that there are 24,000 Pakistanis who have gone to Cambodia, but then 12,000 have not returned. Likewise, there are 4,000 persons who have gone to Myanmar using tourism visas, but then 2,500 remain untraced.

“The results are positive because, through tough actions against illegal travel, the passport rank of Pakistan has been improved from 118 to 92. Pakistan was in the top five countries in terms of illegal migrants. Now it is out of this list,” stated the head of the FIA.

Related : Saudi Arabia Deported Over 14000 Illegal Immigrants

Urbanization and Changing Demographics in Europe

The meeting also showcased the considerable drop in the number of illegitimate Pakistani immigrants in the European region. Though there were 8,000 illegitimate immigrants from Pakistan in the European region last year, the number has subsequently decreased to 4,000 in the current year. The authorities further revealed that a cumulative number of 56,000 Pakistanis have been deported by the Saudi government for the crime of begging.

Immigration Policy Change

The FIA chief said that Dubai and Germany are now allowing visa-free entry for Pakistani officials carrying their own passports, and this is a welcome change in their diplomatic and tourism ties.

He further announced that a new e-immigration scheme is about to be rolled out in mid-January, whereby the immigration clearance will have to be done 24 hours prior to departure of flights, in order to avoid illegal travel and human trafficking.

“Shocking Exploitation Tactics Reve In a shocking revelation, the FIA told the committee that the Pakistani ambassador to Zimbabwe had reported the use of routes passing through Ethiopia and Zambia to get to Europe by illegal migrants. In a rather bizarre incident, an illegal football club successfully sent their representatives to other countries, including a physically disabled person. This clearly illustrates how human smuggling rings take advantage of loopholes. Legislators spoke about the effects these acts have on Pakistan’s image and asked that more attention be paid to preventing such abuse of migration and traveling systems.