On Tuesday, September 24, the Saudi Arabian government issued a strong warning to Pakistan regarding the increasing number of Pakistani beggars entering the country under the pretext of Umrah. Saudi authorities cautioned that if Islamabad fails to take appropriate action, it could negatively impact the religious and interpersonal relations between the two nations.
The Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of the year, in contrast to the Ḥajj which has specific dates according to the Islamic lunar calendar.
“The Saudi Ministry of Hajj has issued a warning to Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, urging action to prevent Pakistani beggars from entering the kingdom under Umrah visas,” Pakistan’s Express Tribune newspaper reported on Tuesday.
In response, Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced plans to implement an “Umrah Act” to regulate travel agencies organizing Umrah trips, bringing them under legal oversight.
Additionally, the ministry has urged the Pakistani government to explore measures to prevent beggars from travelling to Saudi Arabia under the pretence of religious pilgrimage.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi assured Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Ahmed Al-Malki that stringent measures will be enforced against the criminal networks responsible for sending beggars to Saudi Arabia. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been assigned to spearhead this crackdown, focusing on dismantling the mafias that facilitate the illegal entry of beggars into the Kingdom.
Earlier this year, the Saudi government issued a fatwa prohibiting Hajj without a permit, imposing a penalty of 10,000 Riyals (approximately Rs 2.22 lakh) and deportation for violators.
Pakistan planned to block passports of over 2000 beggars so they don’t beg from the entire world
Meanwhile, the Pakistani government, on its end, had decided to block the passports of over 2,000 beggars. As per a Dawn News TV report, the Pakistan authorities had decided that their citizens involved in begging abroad would face a passport suspension for seven years.
The problem of Pakistani beggars has continued to affect the Gulf countries. Last year, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) removed 16 beggars from a flight to Saudi Arabia at the airport in Multan. The group which consisted of 11 women, four men and a child, pretended to be Umrah pilgrims and were travelling on Umrah visas to enter the Gulf nation.
The passengers confessed during the immigration process that they were going to visit the Islamic holy land. The beggars accepted that half of the money they were going to earn through begging would have been given to the travel agencies engaged in their arrangements.
