Pakistan

Pakistan adds names of 4,300 beggars in ECL

Interior Minister stresses that the government is conducting nationwide crackdown against the beggar mafia

News Desk November 20, 2024

A large number of beggars sitting on the roadside waiting for mercy at Wahduwah road on February 10, 2022. Photo: APP.

Pakistan has added the names of 4,300 beggars to its Exit Control List (ECL) following growing concerns over the increasing number of Pakistani beggars going in Saudi Arabia.

The development came after a meeting between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Interior Minister, during which the two officials discussed bilateral matters, including the enhancement of Pak-Saudi relations. Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmed Al-Maliki also attended the meeting.

The two sides focused on issues such as the exchange of paramilitary forces and police personnel, as well as joint training programs. Minister Naqvi proposed designating Islamabad and Riyadh as twin cities, a suggestion that was met with agreement from the Saudi side. It was decided that further steps would be taken to advance the idea.

In response to a growing issue, the ministers also discussed the crackdown on the mafia involved in sending beggars from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia. Naqvi confirmed that 4,300 beggars’ names had been added to the ECL, emphasising a "zero-tolerance" policy against such practices. He stressed that the government was conducting a nationwide crackdown against the beggar mafia.

The meeting also addressed the issue of prisoner exchanges, with both sides agreeing to expedite the repatriation of Pakistani prisoners. Naqvi revealed that legal procedures for the return of 419 Pakistani prisoners from Saudi Arabia would be completed soon.

He further highlighted Saudi Arabia as Pakistan’s "brotherly Islamic country" and pledged continued cooperation to strengthen bilateral ties.

This development follows recent concerns raised by Saudi Arabia over the growing number of Pakistani beggars entering the kingdom on Hajj and Umrah visas. Saudi authorities had warned Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs to take action against beggars entering the country under these visas.