Saudi clampdown: ‘Over 120,000 Pakistanis sent back since 2009’

Foreign ministry says 0.25m have been deported in last five years


Zahid Gishkori November 03, 2014

ISLAMABAD:


Saudi Arabia has deported as many as 123, 527 illegal immigrants from Pakistan since 2009, the ministry of foreign affairs informed the lower house of parliament on Sunday.


Revealing details of the clampdown on foreign migrants in the Saudi kingdom, the ministry said that on average 67 Pakistanis were deported by the authorities in Riyadh over a five-year period.



In response to a question by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) lawmaker Sahibzada Tariqullah, the ministry stated that up to 140 Pakistani nationals have been expelled every day from 49 countries, raising the total number of deportees to 253, 894 since 2009.

“Why has the foreign office not lodged its protest with Saudi Arabia?” the JI leader questioned.

According to the official figures obtained by The Express Tribune, as many as 1.9 million Pakistanis are working in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities rounded up tens of thousands of people for deportation since an amnesty for illegal foreign workers expired last year.

Commenting on the issue, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said that ‘illegal immigrant’ is a technical term, adding that there should not be any discriminatory laws for immigrants.

“We’ve taken up this issue with Saudi Arabia to end the forced expulsion of Pakistanis,” he said.

Citing several reasons behind the mass expulsion of Pakistanis from various countries, the minister claimed deportees deliberately misplace their travel documents to prolong their stay.



Interestingly, the figures presented by the foreign ministry clearly contradict statistics the government had submitted before the parliament earlier this year.  In January, the foreign office had informed the National Assembly that 380,000 Pakistanis were repatriated during the last five years.

Since 2009, Iran has deported as many as 21 illegal immigrants on a daily basis, followed by an average of 19 Pakistanis from United Arab Emirates and 16 from Oman, the ministry stated.

More than 39, 203 Pakistanis were sent back from Iran, 36, 371 from Qatar while Oman has expelled 29, 945 illegal Pakistanis during this period.

Similarly, figures released by the ministry show that Greece sent home around 13, 274 Pakistanis immigrants, United Kingdom 4, 831, Kuwait 1, 908, Hong Kong 682, Qatar 618, 438,  Bahrain, 390 during the last five years.

Responding to a question, the ministry revealed that 1, 500 to 2,000 Pakistani immigrants were residing illegally in Libya. It also claimed that the Pakistani mission has evacuated 5, 769 Pakistanis from Libya through special flights.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2014.

COMMENTS (1)

Whiskey Khan | 9 years ago | Reply

They were illegal!!!....Nothing wrong in deporting illegals' any country would have done the same.

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