Riyadh: In a big embarrassment for Pakistan, Saudi Arabia has raised concerns about the growing number of Pakistani beggars coming to the country under the guise of religious pilgrimage and urged Islamabad to take action to prevent them from entering the Gulf country, as per reports. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj issued a warning to Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs to prevent the entry of Pakistani beggars.
Citing sources from the Pakistani Ministry, the Express Tribune reported that Saudi authorities have raised concerns about the growing number of Pakistani beggars arriving in Saudi Arabia on Umrah visas. The ministry warned that if the situation is not controlled, it could negatively affect Pakistani Umrah and Hajj pilgrims.
In response, Pakistan has decided to introduce an "Umrah Act", which aims to regulate travel agencies facilitating Umrah trips in order to bring them under legal oversight. The ministry has also reached out to the Pakistani government to find ways to prevent beggars from travelling to Saudi Arabia under the guise of religious pilgrimage.
Earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi assured Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Ahmed Al-Malki that strict measures would be implemented against those responsible for sending beggars to the Gulf nation. Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been taken with cracking down on the network, which Mohsin said was damaging the country's reputation.
Furthermore, the issue was also highlighted by Arshad Mahmood, Secretary of Overseas Pakistanis, during a Senate Standing Committee meeting on Overseas Pakistanis. He highlighted that several Gulf countries have expressed concerns regarding the behaviour of overseas Pakistanis, particularly in areas of work ethics, attitudes, and involvement in criminal activities.
Mahmood said these activities are reportedly affecting the reputation of Pakistani workers abroad, leading to increased scrutiny from Gulf employers and authorities. Last month, the FIA offloaded 11 alleged beggars from a Saudi Arabia-bound flight at Karachi airport. During the immigration process, FIA officials questioned the passengers, who admitted that their purpose for visiting Saudi Arabia was to beg.
Saudi Arabia had previously expressed concerns over the matter, saying a majority of people who travel to the Kingdom are involved in either begging or pickpocketing. Saudi Arabia told the Pakistani officials that the majority of the pickpockets arrested from within Makkah's grand mosque are Pakistani nationals. In September last year, 16 beggars disguised as pilgrims were offloaded from a Saudi Arabia-bound flight and arrested for trying to travel to the Gulf Kingdom to indulge in begging.
(with PTI input)
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