Khawaja Asif blames Gulf visa restrictions on beggar mafia

Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday blamed beggar mafia groups for visa restrictions imposed 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 Pakistanis and Human Resource Development that 51,000 such people have been arrested due to the questionable veracity of their travel documents divided into three main categories: work visas, tourist visas and Umrah visas.

He pointed out that illegal immigration and begging networks were seriously damaging Pakistan’s international image. He reported that 56,000 beggars have been expelled from Saudi Arabia while the United Arab Emirates has also imposed visa restrictions in the face of the phenomenon.

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Personnel from different government departments deployed at the airports were equal partners in the illicit trade, facilitating the movement of beggars abroad and profiting from the operation, the defense minister claimed.

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

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

Asif pointed out that the entrepreneurs behind these operations appeared to be financially stable and socially respectable individuals. Whenever crackdowns were launched against beggars, these entrepreneurs would intervene using their influence and recommendations to protect them, he added.

Terming it a bitter reality, the defense minister said organized begging had become one of the biggest sources of so-called “jobs” in the country.

He stressed that an operation of this magnitude could not exist in any city without the support of the local administration and police.

The Defense Minister stressed that this case was linked to several other very worrying criminal activities and called for serious and sustained action to dismantle the networks involved.