In yet another major embarrassment for Pakistan, as many as 258 of its citizens were deported from seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and also 'all-weather friend' China in the last 24 hours, local media reported on Friday.
According to Pakistani immigration officials, out of the 258 people who came to Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, 244 were sent back on emergency travel documents, and only 14 had valid Pakistani passports. While only 16 deportees were arrested for having a 'suspicious identity', the rest were let off after questioning.
According to reports in Pakistan's leading news channel Geo News, Saudi Arabia sent back 232 people, consisting of seven beggars, the Hajj scammers who have been caught to be performing their pilgrimage without license and were handed back after having served their punishment aside from several over-staying or those found doing a job here without sponsorship, or whose visit is already outdated. The report stated that 112 people were deported by the Saudi agencies due to complaints from their sponsors and 63 faced other charges.
Among the 21 people deported from the UAE, four were found to be involved in drug trafficking.
According to information received by the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Immigration Cell, 35 other passengers were offloaded at the Karachi airport during the last 24 hours for lack of advance booking of hotels, for insufficient funds available for expenses proper work and travelling documents.
While the UAE deported 21 of whom four were drug traffickers and one each from China, Qatar, Indonesia, Cyprus, and Nigeria.
Over the years, Pakistan has persisted without any respite in sending questionable travelers overseas - who remain illegally in foreign shores as asylum seekers, illegal drug traffickers, beggars, and human traffickers.
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia's civilian aviation authority announced that a polio vaccination certificate has now been made mandatory for Pakistani citizens traveling to the kingdom and anyone found violating the latest directives would face severe penalties and legal action.
The Saudi government's decision comes at a time when several Gulf countries have imposed a visa ban on Pakistanis over their involvement in crime, fraud, and begging.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) had made it mandatory for visa applicants from Pakistan to submit a police character certificate.
During the past, more than 4000 Pakistani beggars have been arrested in Saudi Arabia, especially from Mecca and Medina where they were caught begging during Umrah and Haj processions.
Large numbers of Pakistanis have also been arrested and jailed by the law-enforcement agencies of these countries for carrying illegal drugs and involvement in illegal activities.
This has culminated in drastic restrictions and even complete bans on the passports of Pakistan by most nations, with Pakistani citizens being turned down thousands of times each month for visas to travel to such countries.
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