Daily Times

The Anti-Human Trafficking and Smuggling wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) once again took a decisive action to prevent a group of alleged beggars from embarking on a trip to Saudi Arabia under the guise of an Umrah pilgrimage at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport on Friday.

This incident is just one in a series of similar attempts thwarted by the FIA in recent weeks, tarnishing the country’s reputation on the international stage.

The matter has even made its way to the Senate, where the Standing Committee of Overseas Pakistanis was informed that a staggering 90% of professional beggars arrested in Middle Eastern nations hail from Pakistan. Pakistani nationals are also disproportionately involved in petty crimes, such as pickpocketing, around the revered Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia. In the latest incident, two men and as many women were offloaded by FIA immigration officers and handed over to the police for further investigation.

The alleged beggars confessed to previously visiting Iran and Iraq for begging purposes and revealed that Pakistani travel agents facilitated their journeys. These agents would drop them in densely populated areas of Saudi Arabia, making it easier for them to collect money through begging. Shockingly, half of the earnings were to be given to their agents. According to the FIA spokesman, cases have been registered against the accused and the agents, with further investigations underway.

In a similar operation the previous Friday, the FIA apprehended a group of beggars attempting to leave for Saudi Arabia under the pretext of undertaking the sacred Umrah pilgrimage. This group, which included children and women, raised serious concerns about the exploitation of religious sentiments for illegal activities. The operation, led by Director FIA Khalid Anees, uncovered a disturbing trend of exploitation by an agent named Nuro, who allegedly facilitated these beggars’ entry into Saudi Arabia, where they would engage in begging within the holy cities of Islam.

The arrested individuals, comprising eight women, four men, and as many children, all hail from Kassowal town in Punjab’s Chichawatni tehsil, Sahiwal district.