Khawaja Asif blames begging mafia for Gulf visa restrictions

Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday blamed mafia begging groups for being responsible for visa restrictions on Pakistanis by Gulf countries.

Last year, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) disembarked 66,154 passengers to prevent organized gangs of beggars and illegal immigrants from traveling abroad. The FIA ​​director general told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistan and Human Resource Development that 51,000 of these people were detained due to the questionable veracity of their travel documents which fall into three main categories: work visas, tourist visas and Umrah visas.

He highlighted that illegal migration and begging rings were seriously damaging Pakistan’s international image. It reported that 56,000 beggars were deported from Saudi Arabia, while the United Arab Emirates had also imposed visa restrictions in view of the phenomenon.

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Staff of various government departments deployed at airports were equal partners in the illicit trade, facilitating the movement of beggars abroad and benefiting from the operation, the Defense Minister alleged.

Referring to Sialkot, he said many beggars came from south Punjab and stayed in hotels while carrying out their activities.

He acknowledged that recent actions by the local administration and police had reduced the scale of the business, but stressed that organized begging was still visible in the city.

Asif noted that the contractors behind these operations appeared to be financially stable and socially respectable people. Whenever crackdowns were launched against beggars, these contractors intervened using their influence and recommendations to protect them, he added.

Terming it a bitter reality, the Defense Minister said that organized begging had become one of the biggest sources of so-called “employment” in the country.

He stressed that such a comprehensive operation could not exist in any city without the sponsorship of the local administration and police.

The Minister of Defense highlighted that the business was linked to several other highly disruptive criminal activities and called for serious and sustained action to dismantle the networks involved.