LAHORE, Aug 22 : More than 20,000 Pakistani nationals were deported from Gulf countries between March 1 and July 13, with security concerns, visa violations and other offences cited among the reasons, according to official data presented in Pakistan’s National Assembly.
The data from the Narcotics Control Ministry showed that most deportations were from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Authorities also detained or deported some Pakistanis for filming or posting material related to Iranian attacks during the recent Iran-US conflict.
Saudi Arabia accounted for the highest number of deportations at 15,500, followed by the UAE with 3,803, Oman 1,606, Bahrain 521, Qatar 429 and Kuwait 97.
The reasons included security concerns, overstaying, illegal entry, begging, drug-related offences, rejected asylum claims and forged or improper documentation.
The data showed that 4,628 absconders were deported, while 1,294 were jailed and 968 blacklisted. Another 1,155 cases involved deportation following loss of passports, while 689 Pakistanis were deported for visa violations and 342 were denied entry.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the figures covered only those formally detained and deported after Pakistani missions issued emergency travel documents. Pakistanis who returned voluntarily or on valid passports were not included.
More than 6,000 cases were listed under the broad “Others” category.
The deportations have raised concerns over the situation of Pakistani migrant workers and expatriates in Gulf countries, which host millions of Pakistanis and remain a major source of remittances for the country.
