Pakistan Imposes Travel Bans and FIRs on Deportees Involved in Begging Rackets Abroad
The Pakistani government has announced a five-year travel ban and the registration of FIRs against thousands of deported citizens involved in organized begging and other unlawful activities overseas. This decisive move includes the cancellation of 7,873 passports and the addition of their holders to the Passport Control List (PCL), effectively barring them from obtaining or renewing travel documents.
These individuals were repatriated from countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar between 2019 and 2025, after being caught in international criminal activities such as begging syndicates. The crackdown comes amid growing international pressure to address unlawful migration and criminal exploitation associated with Pakistani nationals abroad.
During a session of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, officials revealed that 1,460 of the deportees had travelled via 691 licensed Overseas Employment Promoters (OEPs). The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis has issued show-cause notices to these OEPs, with calls for legal proceedings against those found complicit.
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Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro stressed the diplomatic damage caused by such cases and demanded transparency by publishing the names of OEPs with the highest involvement. Senator Shahadat Awan raised legal questions about revoking passports for offenses committed outside Pakistan, urging the creation of a legal framework.
Government officials defended the initiative as essential for national security and restoring global credibility, particularly in response to Gulf nations hosting large Pakistani labor forces. Director General of Passport and Immigration, Mustafa Jamal Kazi, revealed alarming figures, with 34,000 deportations from Iran and nearly 50,000 from Iraq in 2024 alone due to visa violations and unauthorized stays. Furthermore, 125,000 Pakistanis reportedly applied for asylum in Europe over the past year.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also announced a national crackdown against domestic human trafficking networks. He proposed classifying begging mafias as non-bailable offenders and announced NADRA’s deployment of live verification systems at exit points to enforce the “One Document Regime,” aimed at curbing undocumented migration.
This comprehensive action plan, which includes digitization, cross-agency coordination, and enforcement against corrupt employment promoters, reflects a determined national effort to rehabilitate Pakistan’s international standing and prevent future abuses of foreign labor opportunities.
