Saudi Arabia asks Pakistan to block beggars from entering Gulf countries on Umrah visas

ISLAMABAD, Sept 24: Saudi Arabia has expressed concern over the increasing number of Pakistani beggars coming to the kingdom on the pretext of religious pilgrimage and has asked Islamabad to take action to prevent them from entering the Gulf state, media reported on Tuesday.

The Express Tribune newspaper, citing sources in Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, reported that Saudi authorities have also warned that if the situation is not brought under control, it could have negative consequences for Pakistani Umrah and Hajj pilgrims.

“The Saudi Ministry of Hajj has issued a warning to Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, urging action to prevent Pakistani beggars from entering the kingdom on Umrah visas,” the newspaper said.

In response, Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs has decided to introduce an ‘Umrah Act’, which aims to regulate travel agencies that facilitate Umrah travel and bring them under legal supervision, the ministry said.

In addition, the ministry has asked 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, during a meeting with Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Ahmed Al-Malki, assured him that strict measures would be taken against the mafia responsible for sending beggars to Saudi Arabia.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been tasked to bust this network, which Mohsin said was damaging Pakistan’s image.

Pakistani beggars travel to the Middle East on the pretext of ziarat (pilgrimage). Most of them visit Saudi Arabia on Umrah visas and then indulge in begging-related activities, Secretary Overseas Pakistanis Zeeshan Khanzada said last year.

Arshad Mahmood, Pakistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, pointed out last year that several Gulf countries have expressed concerns about the behaviour of Pakistanis abroad, particularly in terms of work ethic, attitude and involvement in criminal activities.

According to the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resources Development, as many as 90 percent of beggars apprehended abroad are from Pakistan.

The FIA ​​has been ordered to crack down on mafiosi sending beggars to Saudi Arabia.

A month ago, the FIA ​​​​caught 11 suspected beggars off a flight bound for Saudi Arabia at Karachi airport.

During the immigration process, FIA officials questioned the passengers, who admitted that they had visited Saudi Arabia to beg.

In September last year, 16 beggars dressed as pilgrims were taken off a flight to Saudi Arabia and arrested because they wanted to travel to the Gulf kingdom to beg.

According to Khanzada in local media, the majority of the pickpockets arrested in the Grand Mosque of Mecca are Pakistani nationals. (PTI)