More than 20,000 Pakistanis deported from Gulf countries; Concern looming for Shehbaz Sharif government?

ABU DHABI: More than 20,000 Pakistani nationals were deported from Gulf in the last four months. The official figures presented in the Pakistani parliament contain crucial information, which is a big setback to the Shehbaz Sharif government. The immediate deportations were carried out after officials found Pakistani natives culpable for illegal immigration, visa violations, begging, drug cases, security issues and fake documents.

According to the figures from March 1 to July 13, Saudi Arabia leads in deportations. Saudi Arabia alone deported 15,500 Pakistani nationals. The UAE is next, with around 3,800 people sent back. Oman has 1,606, Bahrain 521, Qatar 429, and Kuwait 97.

The list includes 4628 people who escaped arrest and 1294 who were serving prison sentences for crimes. In addition, 968 were blacklisted, and 689 people stayed in the country, violating the visa norms. More than 6000 cases are included in other categories.

Those arrested for filming and sharing videos related to Iranian attacks during the Iran-US conflict are among those deported. Meanwhile, Pakistani Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry informed the parliament that Pakistanis who voluntarily left the Gulf during this period were not included in the list.

Illegal activities by citizens in foreign countries have seriously affected Pakistan's image internationally. If the trend continues, Pakistan fear the chances of other countries tightening visa procedures in the coming days. This is unlikely to bode well with the citizens of the country.