FIA launches action against beggars going to the Middle East

Growing concerns in Middle Eastern countries over the rising number of Pakistanis begging have prompted authorities to take action, leading to stricter screening of passengers travelling to these destinations.

A senior official of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has said Dawn that immigration officers at airports have been removing several passengers from flights in recent months to stop this trend. These would-be beggars often pose as tourists to visit countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Oman and Turkey.

Pakistani officials have also expressed concern about the growing presence of Pakistani beggars abroad. A senior official told the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis that 90% of beggars arrested abroad are of Pakistani origin.

At a previous meeting of the committee earlier this year, the Interior Ministry revealed that 44,000 passengers had been deported on similar suspicions in the past two and a half years.

According to officials, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has recently shown keen interest in tackling human traffickers and the beggar mafia.

FIA sources indicated that “gangs” of would-be beggars operate mainly from districts in southern Punjab, with many of them travelling from Multan airport posing as religious tourists.

Impact on real travelers

Qadir Qamar, the director of FIA Gujranwala region, also mentioned Dawn that airport staff disembark passengers with false or suspicious travel documents.

The UAE authorities have begun actively denying visas to Pakistanis who do not have enough money in their accounts to be considered “genuine visitors,” travel agents said. However, this increased scrutiny has a downside, as many foreign embassies and their visa services for Pakistan operate out of the UAE. Travel agents worry that this could impact those who need to travel to these countries for visa interviews.

Stricter visa rules

While Pakistani authorities are taking action, they have also called on countries in the Middle East and the Gulf States to tighten their visa rules. A senior FIA official suggested that these countries should look into their visa processing systems, rather than simply pressuring Pakistani authorities to stop potential beggars, criminals and illegal immigrants.

For example, most Western countries require bank statements, property and tax documents along with visa applications to ensure that travelers have the means to support themselves during their stay. Immigration officials at airports now ask passengers who regularly travel to and from the Middle East for their occupation, company and bank account details to assess the purpose of their trip. If suspicions arise, travelers are removed from flights.

Repatriation of criminals

In addition to tackling beggar groups, officials are working with foreign countries, particularly Middle Eastern countries, to repatriate wanted criminals. Punjab police have repatriated several criminals wanted for serious crimes from Dubai in recent years.

According to FIA sources, most of these criminals, hailing from central Punjab districts such as Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin and Hafizabad, have been recovered through Interpol and handed over to the respective district police.

The agency also focuses on human traffickers, particularly in the regions of Gujranwala, Gujrat and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The crackdown on human traffickers was intensified last year after a boat carrying hundreds of Pakistanis sank near Greece.

FIA Gujranwala Region Director Qadir Qamar said Dawn that the agency’s anti-trafficking cell has arrested about 200 suspected traffickers in the past two months, including those involved in the Greek boat tragedy.

In order to effectively combat human trafficking and other criminal activities, the Ministry of Home Affairs has upgraded the FIA ​​office in Gujranwala to a regional directorate.

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