RIYADH: The government of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has become fed up with the influx of beggars from Pakistan disguised as Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.
According to media reports, the government of Saudi Arabia has asked Pakistan to check the arrival of beggars on umrah and Hajj visas. The government sources said that beggars obtained visas on the pretext that they were going to perform Umrah and Hajj. However, after arrival in the kingdom they start begging in different cities, specially in Jeddah, Makkah and Madina.
The Saudi government has asked the Foreign Office of Pakistan to take steps to check beggars from travelling to the Gulf countries. The Pakistan government was told that in case of failure to check the beggars travelling in Saudi Arabia, its applications for Hajj quota could be affected.
The Foreign Office in Islamabad stated that they were going to bring in a law regulating the working of travel agents who had been involved in sending beggars to Saudi Arabia on Hajj and Umrah visas. They added that human smugglers were also involved in sending beggars to Saudi Arabia.
It may be recalled that last year 24 beggars were caught trying to fly out of the country from Lahore and Multan airports.
According to the FIA, the group comprised 11 men, four women and a child were offloaded from a plane at Lahore airport while eight others were caught at Multan airport. They were hiding Saudi Arabia visas for performing Umrah.
But during questioning, the group confessed that they were going to the kingdom to seek alms. They said they had been helped in getting the visas under an agreement with agents under which they would give half if the money to be received from begging to the agents.
Last year, a Senate standing committee was informed by a senior officer from the Minister of Overseas Pakistanis that a large number of beggars were moving abroad from Pakistan with the help of human smugglers. He also disclosed that “90 per cent of beggars arrested in foreign countries were of Pakistani origin.”
The official said many beggars obtained pilgrim visas to travel to Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq and started begging in these countries by overstaying. He also revealed that a significant number of pickpockets apprehended in holy sites like Haram were also Pakistani nationals.
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