Pakistani 'beggars' on the rise in Gulf nations; scrutiny heightened in country's international airports: Report

A senior Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officer said that 'beggars' who are disguised as tourists visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Oman and Turkiye.

A recent report by Dawn has revealed that there is a rise in the number of 'beggars' from Pakistan who travel to the Middle-Eastern countries disguised as tourists.

Pakistan authorities at the international airports have increased scrutiny and started screening of passengers to take action against such cases.

A senior Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officer told the publication that 'beggars' who are disguised as tourists visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Oman and Turkiye.

The official said that among the 'beggars' arrested in foreign countries, 90 per cent were of Pakistan origin.

Over the past two and a half years, 44,000 passengers have been off loaded, the Interior Ministry said, as reported by Dawn. FIA Director Qadir Qamar said that they off loaded those passengers who they suspected to be carrying fake documents.

FIA mentioned that the people disguise themselves as religious tourists and the 'gangs of potential beggars' are from districts of south Punjab.

The publication also said that the authorities of UAE have begun to decline visas to Pakistanis who did not have enough money. This will let them know if they are 'genuine visitors' or not.

The authorities have told Middle-Eastern and Gulf countries to be aware of such passengers.

An FIA officer said that the Western countries check for bank statements, tax documents of the passengers along with their visa application to see if they have enough money on them during the stay.

He also mentioned that at airports, the passengers are asked about their profession, business and bank account to get details about their travel and the purpose of it.

If the authorities suspect someone to not be a genuine traveller, they are off loaded, the FIA officer said, as quoted by the publication.