Exporting beggars

The situation in Pakistan is so bad that people are literally choosing to become beggars abroad rather than living here. A government report says the overwhelming majority of beggars arrested in the Middle East are Pakistanis, which is both upsetting and embarrassing. The same report also says that Pakistanis make up a disproportionately high number of pickpockets and other petty criminals around pilgrimage sites such as the Masjid al-Haram and the Kaaba.

Most of the Pakistani beggars in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq traveled abroad on pilgrim visas, while in a few cases, they traveled on work permits and lost their jobs or businesses. The fact that most Pakistanis working overseas are also involved in lower-paying professions means they are more likely to be living paycheck-to-paycheck and could be forced to beg out of desperation if they lost their jobs. The situation is so bad that Iraq and Saudi Arabia have been complaining about their prisons being overcrowded with Pakistani beggars, according to Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis Secretary Zulfikar Haider. The secretary also hinted at the involvement of organised crime elements, including human trafficking.

Pakistanis also make up a relatively small share of foreign-origin skilled workers in the Middle East and other major labour importers, despite relatively high unemployment among skilled labour categories in Pakistan. This is a situation that needs to be addressed carefully. In the long run, the government and local industry need to work with academia to ensure jobs are available for our skilled graduates and that universities cater to local industries’ needs. But in the short term, if we can’t create jobs for thousands of young skilled workers, at least we should help them get jobs abroad, where they may at least send back some remittances while getting a chance to make an honest living.

Critics may feel this is fueling a brain drain, but the fact is that if we can’t utilise these brains at home and refuse to let them be utilised abroad, they will be left to rot.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2023.

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