Pakistan’s parliament flags rising deportations of beggars from Saudi Arabia and a surge in airport off-loadings as authorities tighten checks to curb illegal migration while seeking redress for genuine travellers.
Pakistan’s international reputation and overseas labour pipeline are facing fresh strain as authorities tighten airport checks to stem illegal migration and organised begging. Parliamentary scrutiny this week revealed the scale of the problem: tens of thousands of Pakistanis deported from Saudi Arabia for begging, and more than 66,000 passengers stopped from flying this year alone, triggering calls for tougher enforcement alongside safeguards for genuine travellers.
Off-loadings double as FIA flags illegal migration, begging rings
The scale of off-loadings emerged during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, chaired by Syed Rafiullah, in Islamabad. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told lawmakers that 66,154 passengers were off-loaded at airports this year, a sharp rise from about 35,000 last year.
According to the FIA, around 51,000 cases involved questionable travel documents, mainly linked to work, tourist and Umrah visas. Officials said trafficking networks and organised begging rings were key drivers behind the spike, warning that such activity was eroding Pakistan’s standing with host countries.
The agency disclosed that 56,000 Pakistani beggars were deported from Saudi Arabia, while the UAE has recently tightened visa restrictions. FIA officials also pointed to new illegal migration routes towards Africa and Europe, and misuse of tourist visas to countries such as Cambodia and Thailand, arguing that stricter airport scrutiny was unavoidable to curb human trafficking.
While welcoming enforcement efforts, committee members stressed that genuine travellers must not become collateral damage. The panel directed the Ministry of Interior, the FIA and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis to immediately finalise and publish a standard operating procedure (SOP) for off-loadings, along with a clear complaints and redressal mechanism to be displayed at all airports.
Chair Syed Rafiullah cautioned that enforcement without remedy could harm both citizens and the country’s image, underlining the need for accessible appeals for wrongly off-loaded passengers.
Lawmakers also urged better pre-departure verification, calling for interoperability between FIA systems and the Protectorate/E-Protector platform so checks are completed before travellers reach immigration counters.
The FIA said a risk-analysis unit has been set up and an “IMMI” mobile application is being developed to improve screening and real-time monitoring at ports of exit.
Gulf welfare network stretched amid repatriations, legal cases
The Committee also reviewed the performance of Pakistan’s Community Welfare Attaché (CWA) network, particularly in the Gulf. Officials reported that CWAs handled over 55,000 welfare cases this year including more than 30,000 assisted repatriations and emergency travel documents, thousands of prison visits and over 3,400 death-related interventions.
While noting these outcomes, members flagged persistent challenges such as passport confiscation by employers, difficulties in recovering dues, host-country legal constraints and limited outreach to labour camps. The panel directed the Ministry to accelerate expansion of the CWA network, submit station-wise performance data for Gulf posts and present a prioritised plan for new stations.
Taken together, lawmakers indicated that Pakistan’s response must balance deterrence against illegal migration and begging with institutional reforms that protect legitimate travellers and strengthen welfare support for citizens abroad.
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