Saudi Arabia issues stern warning to Pakistan for sending beggars under Umrah and Hajj visas

Islamabad, Sep 24 (IANS) Saudi Arabia has warned Pakistan to take serious and urgent notice of beggars flooding the kingdom under Umrah and Hajj visas, calling on Islamabad's Ministry of Religious Affairs to prevent such people from getting visas and entering its territory for begging purposes.

The Saudi government issued a warning to Pakistan after a large number of Pakistani nationals were caught begging in the country and were deported. It was revealed that the Pakistani beggars had entered into the kingdom under Umrah and Hajj visas, and were using their time to beg on the streets of Mecca and Medina.

Sources in Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs confirmed that Saudi Arabia has raised serious concerns over the growing number of Pakistani beggars landing in the kingdom on Umrah visas.

"Saudi Arabia has warned that if the situation is not controlled, it could negatively affect Pakistani Umrah and Hajj pilgrims," said the source.

The ministry has introduced 'Umrah Act' aimed at regulating travel agencies facilitating Umrah trips and bringing them under one legal umbrella to keep a legal oversight over them and their procedures for visa provisions.

The issue of Pakistani beggars has been an embarrassment for the Shehbaz Sharif government for some time now and discussed recently during a meeting between the Interior Minister of Pakistan Mohsin Naqvi and the Saudi envoy in Islamabad Nawaf Bin Said Ahmed Al-Malki.

Naqvi had assured that strict measures were being taken against the "mafia" responsible for sending beggars to Saudi Arabia.

The Pakistan government has tasked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to crack down on such networks and travel agencies, who are bringing shame and embarrassment to the country with their actions.

"The beggars' mafia is damaging Pakistan's image," said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Several Gulf countries, which host the largest number of overseas Pakistanis, have raised serious concerns over the behavior of Pakistani citizens and have further tightened their scrutiny process for them.

"Gulf countries have expressed concerns regarding the behavior of overseas Pakistanis, particularly in areas of work ethics, attitude, and involvement in criminal activities. This is having a major negative impact and damaging reputation of Pakistani workers abroad," said Arshad Mahmood, Secretary of Overseas Pakistanis.

Last month, 11 alleged beggars were caught at the Karachi airport and were offloaded from a Saudi Arabia-bound flight. They were caught after being stopped and questioned by the officials of FIA during the immigration process. It was later revealed that all of them were travelling with a purpose to beg in Saudi Arabia.

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