Why Pakistan has put 4,300 beggars on no-fly list

Pakistan is notorious for exporting terrorism, donkeys and beggars. Such is the scourge of Pakistani beggars that several Middle Eastern countries warned Islamabad of strict action if the export of beggars wasn’t stopped. Heeding those warnings, Pakistan has now put around 4,300 beggars on the Exit Control List (ECL) to prevent them from flying out of the country and reaching Saudi Arabia. The announcement followed an alarm raised by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in September, where it asked Pakistan to stop beggars from misusing Umrah and Hajj visas to reach the holy cities of Mecca and Medina for begging.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi, on Wednesday, informed Saudi Arabian Deputy Interior Minister Nasser Bin Abdulaziz Al Dawood about the measures taken by the Islamic Republic against the ‘mafia’ responsible for sending beggars to the kingdom, Pakistani daily Dawn reported.

The report also added that a zero-tolerance policy had been adopted by Pakistan against beggars going to Saudi Arabia.

PAKISTANI BEGGAR PROBLEM OF SAUDI ARABIA

The Saudi concern that prompted the Pakistani action wasn’t unfounded.

The sight of Pakistani beggars crowding Saudi Arabian streets, especially in the cities of Mecca, Medina and Jeddah, is common, and has turned into a menace.

With severe inflation and deteriorating economic conditions, Pakistanis are known to travel to West Asian countries, including Saudi Arabia, under the pretext of a pilgrimage to beg.

Many enter Saudi Arabia on Hajj and Umrah visas, and subsequently engage in begging.

Moreover, 90% of the pickpockets arrested inside Mecca’s Grand Mosque are Pakistanis, according to Secretary Overseas Pakistanis Zeeshan Khanzada’s statement in 2023.

DOZENS OF PAKISTANI BEGGARS LOCKED UP IN SAUDI JAILS

Under Saudi Arabian law, begging in any form, for any purpose, is considered an offence. Begging is punishable by up to 6 months of imprisonment and/or a fine of up to 50,000 Riyals for people who engage in begging or those who aid, incite, or facilitate it.

As a result, Pakistani beggars are locked up in the jails of Saudi Arabia.

Nearly 10 million Pakistani citizens live abroad, with a significant number reportedly involved in begging (as of 2023), according to Khanzada.

It’s not just Saudi Arabia. Pakistani beggars have infiltrated several West Asian countries, including the UAE and Iraq.

In September 2023, 16 beggars disguised as pilgrims were offloaded from a Saudi Arabia-bound flight in Karachi and arrested for attempting to travel to Jeddah to beg.

Pakistan’s beggar problem, which has spread to Saudi Arabia and other nations, has led to visa denials and stricter scrutiny for genuine applicants seeking visas. In this context, Jeddah had warned Islamabad that failure to control the situation could adversely impact Pakistani Umrah and Hajj pilgrims.

Following that, Pakistan has acted against letting beggars fly out of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, an effective crackdown was vowed by the Pakistani side to launch a nation-wide crackdown on the ‘beggar mafia’.