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Why Pakistan confiscated passports of 2,000 beggars for 7 years | World News

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2 minutes reading time Last update : July 8, 2024 | 3:58 p.m. IS

The Pakistani government has decided to confiscate the passports of more than 2,000 professional beggars who are damaging the country’s image by travelling abroad to collect donations, according to a report by Dawn News.

According to the report, a list of these individuals has been compiled from Pakistani embassies around the world and further details have been requested from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.

The report cites sources as saying that people caught begging outside Pakistan face having their passports suspended for seven years.

Pakistani authorities said begging abroad not only damages Pakistan’s reputation but also affects the honour of its citizens, which underlines the justification for this strict measure, the report said.

In addition, the government intends to invalidate the passports of agents who assist beggars abroad. It has come to light that many beggars travel to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq for pilgrimage or Umrah just to beg, the report said.

The Interior Ministry and the Foreign Ministry are working together to formulate a unified strategy to combat this problem. Collecting information on people begging abroad is considered an important first step in implementing effective measures, the report adds.

Pakistani beggars arrested before flight to Saudi Arabia

In October last year, 24 people, reportedly from Pakistan, posing as pilgrims were arrested before boarding flights to Saudi Arabia on suspicion of planning to beg.

Just two days before this incident, authorities at Multan airport deported 16 people, including a child, 11 women and four men, from a Saudi-bound plane on suspicion of begging. They held Umrah visas, which are valid for Islamic pilgrimages to Mecca and allow entry at any time of the year.

First published: July 8, 2024 | 3:57 p.m. IS

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