Karachi: In yet another major embarrassment for Pakistan, as many as 258 of its citizens were deported from seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and also ‘all-weather friend’ China in the last 24 hours, local media reported Friday.
According to Pakistani immigration officials, out of the 258 individuals who arrived at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, 244 were deported on emergency travel documents and only 14 had valid Pakistani passports. While only 16 deportees were arrested for having a ‘suspicious identity’, the rest were released after mere questioning.
Pakistan’s leading news channel Geo News reported that Saudi Arabia deported 232 people, including seven beggars, individuals caught performing Hajj without permits and sent back after they had completed their sentences besides several Pakistanis who had overstayed in the country or found to be working without sponsorship or beyond the validity of their visas. The report stated that 112 people were deported by the Saudi agencies due to complaints from their sponsors and 63 faced other charges.
Among the 21 people deported from the UAE, four were found to be involved in drug trafficking.
Citing information received from the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Immigration Cell, it was reported that 35 passengers were also offloaded at the Karachi airport in the past 24 hours for travelling to various countries due to lack of advance hotel bookings, insufficient funds for expenses, proper work and travel documents.
While the UAE deported 21, including four involved in drug trafficking, one individual each was deported from China, Qatar, Indonesia, Cyprus, and Nigeria.
Over the years, Pakistan has maintained unrelenting consistency in sending questionable travellers abroad – those who end up staying illegally in foreign countries by becoming asylum seekers, illegal drug traffickers, beggars and human traffickers.
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia’s civilian aviation authority announced that a polio vaccination certificate has now been made mandatory for Pakistani citizens travelling to the kingdom and anyone found violating the latest directives would face severe penalties and legal action.
The Saudi government’s decision comes at a time when several Gulf countries have imposed a visa ban on Pakistanis over their involvement in crime, fraud and begging.
Earlier, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had made it mandatory for visa applicants from Pakistan to submit a police character certificate.
In the past, over 4000 Pakistani beggars have been arrested in Saudi Arabia, especially from Mecca and Medina, where they were caught begging during Umrah and Haj processions. Many Pakistanis have also been arrested and jailed by the law-enforcement agencies of these countries for carrying illegal drugs and involvement in illegal activities.
This has ultimately resulted in severe restrictions and bans being imposed by many countries on Pakistani passports and the country’s citizens, leading to rejections of visas for thousands of travellers every month.
