Pakistani news channel Geo News on Wednesday reported that Arab countries have asked Pakistan not to send its beggars to their countries in the guise of 'pilgrims'.
The news channel, citing Secretary of Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, said most of their beggars are going abroad.
In a recent session of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis, Zeeshan Khanzada, the Secretary for Overseas Pakistanis, presented some troubling statistics regarding the country's expatriate population.
He emphasised that a notable portion of Pakistani expatriates abroad is engaged in begging, leading to legal complications for many, the channel reported.
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Beggars outnumber skilled Pakistani workers abroad
During the meeting, Senator Rana Mahmood-ul-Hasan raised the issue of Pakistan's comparatively low representation among skilled workers in countries such as Japan.
He conveyed that a striking 90% of beggars apprehended overseas hailed from Pakistan.
Iran, Saudi say detention facilities overflowing with Pakistani detainees
Furthermore, he brought up that both the Iraqi and Saudi ambassadors had communicated that their detention facilities were overflowing as a result of these arrests, prompting worries about human trafficking.
Khanzada also observed that a significant number of pickpockets apprehended within the Haram in Saudi Arabia were of Pakistani origin, and they frequently used Umrah visas as a cover for their begging activities.
