After facing disgrace overseas for illegal begging, visa violations and document fraud, Pakistan The government has banned its citizens with incomplete travel documents and professional beggars from traveling abroad, as he said Radio Pakistan.
The development comes as there have been reports of Pakistani passengers being offloaded at various airports across the country.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said “professional beggars and people traveling with incomplete documents will not be allowed to go abroad,” state radio station Radio Pakistan reported.
The minister said this while addressing passengers during a visit to Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, along with Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said that Radio Pakistan message.
Naqvi warns culprits, says national dignity is top priority
Warning that those who bring Pakistan into bad name will face strict action, Naqvi said that the dignity of the country and facilitation of travelers are his top priorities.
During the visit, Naqvi and Chaudhry inspected immigration counters and reviewed the departure process.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said more than 66,000 passengers had been turned away from Pakistani airports this year on suspicion of irregular travel, while tens of thousands were deported from the Gulf states and other countries as part of a wider crackdown on illegal migration, it said Arabic news.
Authorities have stepped up a crackdown on illegal migration after 2023, when hundreds of people, including Pakistani nationals, died trying to cross the Mediterranean in an overcrowded fishing vessel that sank off the Greek coast. The incident sparked widespread outrage and scrutiny of smuggling networks.
Abuse of Umrah visas is rampant
Recently, several cases of Pakistani citizens misusing their Umrah visas to beg for money have been reported in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a committee, headed by the federal minister for overseas Pakistanis, to streamline immigration procedures and investigate cases of arbitrarily landed passengers. He also reviewed enforcement measures aimed at curbing people-smuggling and illegal immigration during a high-level cabinet meeting on Saturday. Arabic news message.
During the meeting, officials highlighted a 47% drop in illegal migration to Europe from the country following increased screening at points of departure.
“When taking action against those traveling illegally or with suspect travel documents, special care must be taken to ensure that travelers with valid documents are not affected,” the prime minister said in a statement issued by his office.
