Pakistan is one of the most populous countries in the world. With its 241 million inhabitants, it ranks fifth, behind China, the U.S., India, and Indonesia (ahead of Brazil, Russia, Japan, etc.). Pakistan’s main exports include textiles, leather and sports goods, chemicals, carpets… The country also exports significant quantities of rice, sugar, cotton, fish, fruits, and vegetables. However, recently—according to their own officials—Pakistan has become a major “exporter” of professional beggars.
What is happening? Pakistan, especially its large cities, has always been notorious for the high number of beggars, many of whom engage in petty crime, pickpocketing, and theft. They’ve almost become a “trademark” of Pakistani markets and streets. But due to recent circumstances, beggars from Pakistan are now crossing international borders and heading to wider Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and beyond.
According to a new report shared with senators, a staggering 90% of beggars detained in the Middle East are from Pakistan! Pakistani nationals are also disproportionately represented among those arrested for petty crimes like pickpocketing, operating in high-profile locations such as the Al-Masjid al-Haram mosque in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Apparently, these petty thieves are aware that the infamous punishment of hand amputation for theft is no longer practiced in Saudi Arabia.
During a debate in Pakistan’s parliament, Senator Manzoor Kakar and others expressed frustration over the lack of action to address and prevent this phenomenon. MP Zulfikar Haider presented details about the scale of the issue outside Pakistan’s borders.
“Beggars are leaving Pakistan en masse, often traveling by boat, and then using visitor visas to beg from pilgrims abroad,” said Haider. He also expressed deep concern that a significant number of Pakistani beggars are now in prisons in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which further “damages the image of Pakistanis abroad.”
One consequence of this trend is the growing distrust toward Pakistanis. Haider lamented that Pakistanis are increasingly viewed with suspicion abroad, leading to a rise in deportations. “Iraq and Saudi Arabia constantly complain that we are sending criminals to their countries, and their prisons are overcrowded with Pakistani beggars. This is a serious issue,” he stated.
At the same meeting, Senator Rana Mehmoodul Hassan raised another concern—the lack of skilled Pakistani labor abroad. Hassan compared Pakistan’s poor performance in sending qualified professionals to countries like Japan, where neighboring countries such as India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have made significant contributions. In contrast, Pakistan has sent only 200 people to Japan.
Hassan emphasized the urgent need for Pakistan to ramp up its efforts to export skilled labor, especially as Saudi Arabia now requires highly qualified professionals rather than just basic laborers. “We have 50,000 unemployed engineers in Pakistan. It’s time to focus on sending skilled workers abroad,” he said.
Let’s not forget, Pakistan is a country in deep economic trouble but remains a close ally of Saudi Arabia, which has bailed it out financially several times. Moreover, Pakistan is considered a potential “joker card” for Saudi Arabia in acquiring nuclear weapons, should Iran develop its own. While this has never been publicly acknowledged, if Saudi Arabia were to suddenly acquire such capabilities, there’s a high likelihood they would have come secretly from Pakistan—the only Muslim country with nuclear arms.
Between Riyadh and Islamabad, it’s clear Pakistani officials are concerned about the image being spread by their beggars in the Middle East, yet they’ve failed to propose any concrete measures to put an end to it.
So how did Pakistan become a country that exports beggars? It’s largely due to the poor economy and increasing poverty.
Pakistan is a country drowning in record-high inflation and suffering from a sharp rise in food and fuel prices. That is the main reason Pakistani beggars are flocking to Middle Eastern countries in large numbers. Poverty in Pakistan rose to 39.4% in the last fiscal year, with another 12.5 million people falling into poverty due to poor economic conditions, according to the World Bank.
The data suggests that the situation in Pakistan won’t improve any time soon—which means Pakistani beggars will likely continue to appear more frequently abroad.
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