GUJRAT: Federal Minister for Defence Khwaja Muhammad Asif revealed that Pakistan is home to an estimated 22 million beggars, collectively earning over Rs42 billion annually. He stressed that the growing number of beggars is damaging the country’s image internationally.
The minister made these remarks while addressing members of the Pakistan Ready-made Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) in his hometown of Sialkot on Saturday.
Discussing the deportation of beggars from Middle Eastern countries, Asif shared that Saudi Arabia alone had expelled at least 4,700 Pakistani beggars. However, he did not specify the time period for this figure.
According to a briefing provided by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to a parliamentary body last year, Saudi Arabia had deported 4,000 beggars over the past three years, ending in 2024.
The Anti-Begging Regulation in Saudi Arabia aims to curb begging and networks associated with it by imposing fines and imprisonment. Foreign beggars may also face deportation after completing their sentences.
A senior FIA official revealed that most of the deported beggars are professional beggars, primarily from South Punjab, Karachi, and Interior Sindh. Once deported, their names are added to the FIA Immigration’s Passport Control List (PCL), preventing them from traveling abroad again.
Asif also encouraged Sialkot’s business community to establish its own bank to foster economic activities.
PML-N lawmakers from Sialkot, along with PRGMEA chairman Ijaz Khokhar and others, were present at the event.
The minister emphasized that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his cabinet are working hard to resolve issues affecting the community.
Earlier, Ijaz Khokhar, the PRGMEA chairman, presented a charter of demands from his association.
