Pakistani authorities have increased scrutiny at international airports over tremendous rise in the number of beggars travelling to middle eastern countries disguised as tourists, Dawn reported.
This came after a senior official informed the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis that 90% of beggars detained abroad are of Pakistani origin.
Potential beggars were disguising themselves as tourists to travel to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Oman, and Turkey, a senior official from Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told Dawn.
The official informed the news website that, in recent months, immigration staff at airports have removed several passengers from flights in an effort to curb this trend.
Earlier this year, the interior ministry had reported that it deported 44,000 passengers based on similar suspicions over the past two and a half years.
‘Genuine visitors’ at disadvantage as Gulf resorts to stricter visa regime
A senior FIA officer suggested that these countries should also review their visa processing systems, rather than solely urging Pakistani authorities to prevent potential beggars, criminals, and illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, UAE authorities have begun actively rejecting visa applications from Pakistanis who cannot demonstrate sufficient funds in their accounts to be considered “genuine visitors.”
This came after a senior official informed the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis that 90% of beggars detained abroad are of Pakistani origin.
Potential beggars were disguising themselves as tourists to travel to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Oman, and Turkey, a senior official from Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told Dawn.
The official informed the news website that, in recent months, immigration staff at airports have removed several passengers from flights in an effort to curb this trend.
Earlier this year, the interior ministry had reported that it deported 44,000 passengers based on similar suspicions over the past two and a half years.
‘Genuine visitors’ at disadvantage as Gulf resorts to stricter visa regime
A senior FIA officer suggested that these countries should also review their visa processing systems, rather than solely urging Pakistani authorities to prevent potential beggars, criminals, and illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, UAE authorities have begun actively rejecting visa applications from Pakistanis who cannot demonstrate sufficient funds in their accounts to be considered “genuine visitors.”
#Beggar #tourist #Travellers #Gulf #strict #scrutiny #airports #Pakistan #Times #India
