Saudi Arabia Warned Islamabad Over Pakistani Beggars, Now Thousands Are Being Deported

Last Updated:December 18, 2025, 16:44 IST

Saudi Arabia has deported around 56,000 Pakistani nationals for involvement in organised begging, Pakistani officials revealed.

Pakistan placed thousands of citizens on the Exit Control List (ECL), effectively barring them from travelling abroad.

Saudi Arabia deported tens of thousands of Pakistani nationals over allegations of organised begging, despite efforts by Islamabad to restrict overseas travel and curb the misuse of visas. The deportations come amid growing concern in several West Asian countries over visitors travelling from Pakistan and engaging in begging and other illegal activities, prompting tighter visa rules and increased scrutiny of Pakistani travellers.

Saudi Arabia has deported around 56,000 Pakistani nationals for involvement in organised begging, Pakistani officials revealed, even as Islamabad stepped up efforts to curb the trend. In 2025 alone, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) offloaded 66,154 passengers from outbound flights to prevent organised begging rings and illegal migrants from leaving the country, according to official figures cited in local media reports.

The disclosures come months after Pakistan placed thousands of citizens on the Exit Control List (ECL), effectively barring them from travelling abroad. Despite these measures, the practice of misusing pilgrimage and tourist visas for begging has persisted, drawing increasing scrutiny from host countries.

Last month, the United Arab Emirates sharply curtailed visa issuance for most Pakistani citizens amid concerns that visitors were engaging in criminal activity and begging. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, had earlier urged Pakistan to stop beggars from misusing Umrah visas to enter the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

FIA Director-General for Immigration and Borders Riffat Mukhtar said the scale of the problem had become impossible to ignore.

“Around 56,000 Pakistanis involved in organised begging were recently deported from Saudi Arabia," he told The News . Mukhtar added that the FIA’s decision to offload more than 66,000 passengers this year was aimed at dismantling organised networks facilitating begging and illegal migration, The Express Tribune reported.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs warned in 2024 that failure to control the issue could adversely affect Pakistani Umrah and Hajj pilgrims.

The issue is not confined to Saudi Arabia. Pakistani beggars have been reported in several West Asian countries, including the UAE, Kuwait, Azerbaijan and Bahrain. In 2024, Secretary of Overseas Pakistanis Zeeshan Khanzada said that 90% of beggars detained in West Asian nations were from Pakistan.

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