The Federal Investigation Agency's Anti-Human Trafficking and Smuggling division once again took decisive action at Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport on Friday.
They prevented a group of alleged beggars from embarking on a trip to Saudi Arabia, disguising it as an Umrah pilgrimage. This incident is part of a recent series of similar attempts thwarted by the FIA, damaging the country's international reputation.
The issue has also reached the Senate, where the Standing Committee of Overseas Pakistanis was informed that a significant 90% of professional beggars arrested in Middle Eastern countries come from Pakistan. Pakistani nationals are disproportionately involved in minor crimes, such as pickpocketing, near the revered Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia.
In this latest incident, two men and two women were offloaded by FIA immigration officers and handed over to the police for further investigation. These alleged beggars admitted to begging in Iran and Iraq previously and revealed that Pakistani travel agents facilitated their journeys.
These agents would drop them in highly populated areas of Saudi Arabia to collect money through begging, with half of the earnings going to the agents. Cases have been registered against the accused and the agents, with ongoing investigations, according to the FIA spokesman.
In a similar operation the previous Friday, the FIA detained a group of beggars attempting to leave for Saudi Arabia under the pretext of undertaking the sacred Umrah pilgrimage. This group, including children and women, raised concerns about the exploitation of religious sentiments for illegal activities.
Director FIA Khalid Anees led the operation, which exposed a troubling trend of exploitation by an agent named Nuro, who allegedly facilitated these beggars' entry into Saudi Arabia for begging within the holy cities of Islam. The individuals arrested, consisting of eight women, four men, and as many children, all come from Kassowal town in Punjab's Chichawatni tehsil, Sahiwal district.