Pakistan Bars Beggars From Foreign Travel Amid Gulf Pressure And Deportations

International

-Gaurav Sharma

Updated: Monday, December 22, 2025, 16:39 [IST]

Pakistan
has
moved
to
stop
professional
beggars
and
travellers
with
incomplete
documents
from
leaving
the
country,
after
thousands
of
Pakistanis
were
deported
from
Saudi
Arabia,
United
Arab
Emirates
and
Azerbaijan
for
begging,
visa
misuse
and
irregular
travel,
prompting
diplomatic
pressure
from
Gulf
governments
worried
about
security
risks
and
reputational
damage.

Interior
Minister
Mohsin
Naqvi
has
directed
authorities
to
block
such
travellers
at
airports
and
land
borders,
warning
that
those
involved
in
organised
begging
or
document
fraud
will
face
strict
penalties
at
home
as
well
as
abroad,
as
Pakistan
tries
to
limit
further
deportations
and
reduce
embarrassment
for
Pakistani
nationals
overseas.

Pakistan
bars
beggars
foreign
travel
amid
Gulf
pressure

Radio
Pakistan
reported
that
Naqvi
had
warned
those
who
“bring
a
bad
name
to
Pakistan” will
face
strict
action.
“The
interior
minister
said
the
dignity
of
Pakistan
and
facilitation
of
passengers
are
his
top
priorities.”
Officials
said
the
instructions
apply
to
people
travelling
for
work,
religious
visits,
tourism
and
short
stays,
especially
to
Gulf
countries.

The
Federal
Investigation
Agency
(FIA)
stated
that
more
than
66,000
outbound
passengers
were
stopped
during
this
year
on
suspicion
of
irregular
travel
plans,
incomplete
documentation
or
possible
human
smuggling,
while
tens
of
thousands
of
Pakistanis
were
flown
back
from
Gulf
states
and
other
destinations
in
broad
crackdowns
on
illegal
migration
and
begging
networks.

Pakistan
bars
beggars
foreign
travel
as
deportations
rise

Data
shared
with
Islamabad
shows
that
Saudi
Arabia,
United
Arab
Emirates
and
Azerbaijan
deported
thousands
of
Pakistani
nationals
in
2025
over
begging
charges.
Police
forces
in
Saudi
Arabia
and
UAE
ran
special
anti-begging
drives
during
Ramadan
and
the
Hajj
and
Umrah
periods,
when
begging
incidents
surge
near
religious
sites,
shopping
areas
and
residential
districts.

According
to
Gulf
officials,
many
of
those
arrested
for
begging
were
not
lone
individuals
but
part
of
organised
groups
managed
by
handlers,
who
arrange
visas,
transport
and
locations.
Repeat
offenders
were
frequently
blacklisted,
meaning
bans
on
re-entering
Saudi
Arabia
or
UAE,
and
authorities
passed
deportation
records
to
Pakistani
agencies
to
help
identify
ringleaders
inside
Pakistan.

Pakistan
bars
beggars
foreign
travel
with
stricter
checks

Immigration
teams
in
Gulf
airports
now
apply
tighter
checks
to
Pakistani
visitors,
especially
those
seeking
visit,
Umrah
or
other
short-stay
visas.
Officials
closely
examine
the
travel
purpose,
available
funds
and
travel
history,
and
many
Pakistanis
without
clear
plans
or
with
repeated
short
trips
are
either
offloaded
at
Pakistani
departure
points
or
refused
entry
on
arrival.

Gulf
governments
have
raised
the
issue
directly
with
Islamabad,
framing
it
as
both
a
reputational
and
security
challenge.
In
response,
Pakistan’s
FIA
has
expanded
airport
offloading,
begun
probing
travel
agents
and
suspected
human
smugglers,
and,
in
some
instances,
cancelled
passports
of
habitual
offenders,
while
also
noting
that
over
66,000
travellers
were
intercepted
this
year
alone
for
possible
irregular
travel.

Officials
in
Gulf
countries
have
said
that
a
disproportionate
share
of
foreign
beggars
detained
in
recent
years
were
Pakistani
nationals,
which
has
led
to
specific
focus
on
Pakistan
rather
than
a
broad
regional
policy,
and
Pakistan’s
new
restrictions
on
beggars
and
poorly
documented
travellers
aim
to
reduce
such
cases
and
limit
further
strain
on
relations
with
key
Gulf
partners.