Last November, Pakistan made headlines for all the wrong reasons when Saudi authorities issued us a stern warning, not over weapons or geopolitical alliances, but a deluge of beggars. Rightly so, as the Kingdom, according to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, has already deported 4,700 Pakistanis for begging under its Anti?Begging Regulation. While this proves to be a point of schadenfreude for those inclined to see Pakistan in a negative light, it strikes as the culmination of years of unchecked exploitation and policy failure. Overseas Employment Promoters in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi charge between Rs 50,000 and Rs 100,000 to place would?be beggars on Umrah visas, taking a share of every rupee they collect in Mecca and Medina. To further add credence to Saudi reservations, our immigration officers have already offloaded at least 400 suspicious passengers from outbound flights in the last few months. However, behind them lies a roughly 22-million-strong union of street beggars in Pakistan, who together pull in around Rs 42 billion annually-proof that poverty and unemployment (16 per cent among youth) remain our greatest domestic threats The Senate’s Overseas Pakistanis Committee previously noted how 4,300 individuals are now on a no?fly list, yet had little to offer about why fewer than 60 per cent face actual travel bans, allowing many to cycle back into the system. Meanwhile, the FIA’s reactive airport checks, though a welcome step, offer little protection against long?standing networks that groom and dispatch victims months in advance. Such revelations have diplomatic costs. Riyadh has warned Pakistan it may cut Hajj visa allocations if begging continues, and the UAE has publicly decried rising crime linked to foreign beggars, including organised theft rings among “charitable” pilgrims. Our second?largest expatriate community-more than four million-cannot afford collective punishment for the crimes of a few. Partial measures won’t suffice. First, Pakistan must license and audit every OEP operating pilgrimage and labour visas, imposing heavy penalties for misconduct. Biometric pre?departure screening and background checks should be mandatory for all Hajj and Umrah travellers. No ifs and no buts. Most importantly, deportees must enter vocational training and microcredit programmes on arrival rather than reentering the trafficking cycle. International cooperation is equally vital. Pakistan needs joint task forces with Gulf counterparts to map routes, identify ringleaders, and freeze assets of beggary networks. We should leverage intelligence?sharing agreements to dismantle the cartels that prey on our poorest citizens. Allowing professional begging to thrive abroad invites harsh backlash at home: tighter visa restrictions, reduced remittances, and a tarnished global image. Conversely, a robust crackdown on trafficking networks can restore dignity to our citizens and credibility to our state. Pakistan must not and cannot wait for the next deportation wave before acting. *