Tough Measures Await Pakistanis Deported from Abroad

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Saturday that Pakistanis deported from various nations for different offenses will encounter stringent repercussions. These measures encompass passport revocation and legal action, aimed at suppressing international human trafficking networks that tarnish Pakistan’s reputation.

The decision to implement strict measures against returning deportees was reached during a prominent assembly led by Naqvi in Islamabad.

This action follows the deportation of over 5,000 Pakistani individuals engaged in begging by Saudi Arabia over the last 16 months.

Naqvi conveyed this information to the National Assembly earlier this month in response to a query from PPP MNA Sehar Kamran.

During the same timeframe, an additional 369 Pakistanis were apprehended for begging in five other countries. Notably, in April alone, 106 Pakistanis who had been deported from Europe arrived in Islamabad. Naqvi had previously declared that the government would invalidate the passports of those deported and tighten the requirements for issuing new travel documents.

According to the meeting records, these individuals will also be subject to a five-year passport watchlist.

A committee, supervised by the interior secretary, has been formed to assess and reinforce passport regulations.

Naqvi emphasised that the conduct of these individuals harms Pakistan’s global image and that there would be no leniency moving forward.

Pakistan has faced challenges with organised begging networks for a long time, where entire families are pressured to meet daily quotas for unscrupulous contractors. However, the global scope of this issue necessitates careful legal deliberation.

Human traffickers and unethical agents exploit the vulnerability of individuals from disadvantaged economic backgrounds, enticing them to foreign countries with promises of employment prospects or better prospects.

Upon arrival, their limited savings are exhausted, the promised employment opportunities are non-existent, and they find themselves abandoned, frequently criminalised for resorting to survival tactics such as begging.

It should be emphasised that the government has initiated efforts to curb the emigration of such individuals, including enhancing immigration protocols and including nearly 4,000 individuals on the Exit Control List.