Multiple Gulf Countries Impose Visa Ban on Pakistanis Over Crime, Fraud, and Begging Issues

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and several other Gulf countries have imposed an indefinite ban on granting visas to people from at least 30 different cities of Pakistan, following an alarming rise in the number of cases where Pakistani nationals have been caught begging or being involved in smuggling, drug trafficking, human trafficking and other criminal offenses abroad.

The gulf countries and cities, especially Dubai and Abu Dhabi, remain the most preferred destinations for millions of Pakistani travelers and job seekers.

However, following the ban and increasing visa rejections, the already dented image of Pakistani passport – ranked fourth worst in the world for the third consecutive year – will suffer further irreparable damage.

The UAE has also made it compulsory for visa applicants from Pakistan to submit a police character certificate.

A popular Pakistani YouTuber also admitted the problem faced by travelers from the country after the Gulf states stopped issuing visas to Pakistani nationals.

"Saudi Arabia and Dubai were popular destinations but have now stopped giving visas. I too had to face a great difficulty when I wanted to go for the IIFA Awards. In fact, Saudi Arabia has given a warning to Pakistan with regard to the increasing number of cases of beggars being caught," admitted noted podcaster Nadir Ali in his latest interview with a businessman who owns a large travel company in Karachi.

Over the years, Pakistan has exhibited unyielding consistency in sending doubtful travelers abroad -- those who eventually stay abroad illegally by turning into asylum seekers, drug peddlers, beggars and traffickers.

Since last year, we have witnessed hundreds of cases where labour visas, visit visas and even tourist visas have been declined for Pakistanis by the Gulf countries. The number of rejections is especially high for those people who do not hail from major cities of the country," Muddasar Mir, Managing Director of Vinci Tours and Travels in Islamabad, told IANS.

"Some main reasons are there for the rejections of Pakistani visa applications by Gulf countries. There is a major reason which comes in the form of beggars and drug smugglers, who have been caught after arriving in the Gulf countries on either visit or job visas. Some people have also been caught who were transporting drugs to Gulf countries. Recruitment companies that are sending laborers particularly to the Gulf countries have also been using fake experience letters. They bribe agencies and manage to get through," he added.

Several firms in the Gulf have lamented to their recruitment agencies that the manpower being transported here fails to meet even minimum standards of the job, causing serious problems.

Companies in the Gulf do not want to hire any labourer or technician from Pakistan now because they know that the workforce from Pakistan will turn out to be incompetent. They have found a better option to hire people from countries like India, Bangladesh and Indonesia who are easier to manage," says Mir.

Statistics indicate that over 800,000 Pakistanis apply for visas for Gulf and Middle Eastern countries every year in the hope of finding employment and jobs as well as use their destination as a stepping stone toward traveling to western and European nations.

In the past, more than 4000 Pakistani beggars have been arrested in Saudi Arabia, especially from Mecca and Madina where they were caught begging during Umrah and Haj processions. A number of Pakistanis have also been caught carrying illegal drugs and for their involvement in illegal activities.

This has ultimately resulted in severe restrictions and bans being imposed by many countries on Pakistani passports and the country’s citizens, leading to rejections of visas for thousands of travellers.