Saudi Arabia Cautions Pakistan To Stop Sending Beggars

Saudi Arabia has reportedly issued a warning to Pakistan to stop growing number of Pakistani beggars arriving in the country in the name of religious pilgrimage.

According to a report in Pakistan’s Express Tribune newspaper on Tuesday, “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.”

Responding to the Saudi warning, Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs has decided to introduce an “Umrah Act,” which aims to regulate travel agencies facilitating Umrah trips, bringing them under legal oversight, the newspaper added.

The ministry has also asked the Pakistani government to find ways to prevent beggars from travelling to Saudi Arabia under the guise of religious pilgrimage.

In September last year, 16 beggars disguised as pilgrims were arrested for entering Saudi Arabia to indulge in begging. Most of them were Pakistanis.

According to a report last year, 90 per cent of beggars arrested in foreign countries belong to Pakistan.