131 Pakistanis deported from 12 countries for legal offences

131 Pakistani nationals have been expelled from 12 different countries due to various legal violations, since earlier on Friday, including drug-related offences, illegal entry, and failure to comply with employment regulations, The News International reported.

Authorities in multiple nations carried out these deportations, citing breaches of local laws, with some individuals facing immediate removal upon arrival.

According to immigration sources, Saudi Arabia led the deportations, sending back 74 Pakistani citizens for alleged involvement in drug trafficking and violating employment agreements by leaving jobs without prior notice. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also deported several Pakistani nationals, charging them with illegal entry, theft, and drug-related offences.

In one case, a person was denied entry upon arrival and immediately sent back to Pakistan, while another individual was deported from the UAE following allegations of attempting to take their own life.

Apart from these two major deporting nations, other Pakistani nationals were expelled from Oman, Cambodia, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Mexico. Furthermore, in a separate incident, two individuals suspected of human smuggling were deported from Mauritania and Senegal, as per reports by The News International.

Upon their return to Pakistan, 16 deportees were transferred to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Anti-Human Trafficking Circle for further inquiry. Meanwhile, six individuals were handed over to law enforcement agencies in Larkana, Kalat, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, and Rawalpindi for additional investigation into their cases.

Meanwhile, immigration officials at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, also prevented 86 passengers from departing the country during the same period for various reasons. Among them, 30 Umrah pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia were offloaded due to a lack of advance hotel reservations and insufficient financial proof to cover their travel expenses. Additionally, seven young passengers holding student or study visas to Cyprus, the UK, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan were denied boarding.

Passengers holding tourist visas for Saudi Arabia, Oman, Azerbaijan, Malawi, Congo, Bahrain, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, and Zimbabwe were also barred from traveling, The News International reported.

Some individuals blacklisted from working in Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia were stopped from boarding their flights as well.