The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday arrested 10 “beggars” deported from Saudi Arabia at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. A spokesman for the FIA said that suspects were allegedly begging in the kingdom despite travelling there on Umrah visas. Those arrested belonged to Rajanpur, Kashmore, Naushahro Feroze, Lahore, Peshawar, Mohmand, and Larkana. “The suspects have been shifted to the agency’s anti-human smuggling circle in Karachi for carrying out legal action,” the spokesperson added. Subsequently, immigration officers tightened the screening process at all airports of the country and scrutinising passengers in all aspects departing for foreign countries. These actions were followed by the federal government’s decision to criminalise begging by amending the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018, last month. In this connection, the interior ministry had also submitted the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aimed at tweaking the existing legislation by adding “organised beggary” to its Section 3. The proposed changes to the relevant act come as the issue of begging has been raised by multiple countries with Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, Iraq and Malaysia also confirming it. Noting that Pakistanis who visit these countries for Hajj, Umrah, and other religious pilgrimages have been found involved in begging, the diplomatic missions, as claimed by the amendment draft, have urged Pakistani authorities to take stern action against those involved in begging and the gangs behind them. In November 2024, the government went on to put the names of 4,300 beggars on the Exit Control List (ECL) following a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmed Al Maliki. Hundreds of Pakistanis have been deported in recent weeks from Gulf countries due to issues ranging from irregularities in documentation, failure to insufficient travel funds, procedural shortcomings, involvement in crimes, begging etc. Meanwhile, in its bid to address human smuggling concerns, the government has also imposed strict screening measures at the airports with the FIA directing its deputy directors of immigration to be extra vigilant while clearing passengers for boarding planes. As per the directives, an improved system of profiling passengers travelling to Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Iran, Mauritania, Iraq, Turkiye, Qatar, Kuwait, and Kyrgyzstan should be implemented.