The Pakistani government has blocked the passports of 4,000 citizens who have been arrested in Saudi Arabia for begging and involvement in other crimes.
Citing sources from Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis, Pakistan’s ProPakistani daily reported that the passports of the arrested Pakistanis have been blocked for seven years.
Approximately 60 percent of those detained are from the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
It is reported that the Pakistani authorities are preparing emergency travel documents to bring back arrested Pakistanis from Saudi Arabia, who will be arrested upon arrival and face legal processes upon their return.
This comes as Saudi Arabia warned Pakistan in September to address the increasing number of Pakistani beggars arriving in the Kingdom under Umrah visas.
In a report, Pakistani daily the Express Tribune quoted sources from Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs saying that the Saudi authorities have warned that uncontrolled conditions could negatively impact Pakistani Umrah and Haj pilgrims.
In August, 11 alleged beggars were arrested at Karachi airport and offloaded from a Saudi Arabia-bound flight, questioned by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials, and later revealed to be travelling for living in Saudi Arabia.
