Passports of deported Pakistanis will be cancelled, says interior minister

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that the passports of the Pakistanis, who were returning to the country after being deported, will be cancelled.

According to state-run Pakistan Television (PTV), the minister also said that such Pakistanis would also face the registration of first information reports (FIR) against them.

The PTV reported that an important meeting, chaired by the interior minister, was held in Islamabad where it was decided that deportees who were coming back will have their passports cancelled and FIRs will also be registered against them.

The names of the deportees will be put on the passport control list for five years.

Saudi Arabia deported a total of 5,033 Pakistani beggars whereas another 369 individuals have been apprehended for begging in five other countries in the last 16 months.

Last month, the interior minister had said that the government would block the passports of Pakistanis deported, and tighten the process of issuing new travel documents.

Around 106 Pakistanis were also deported from European countries, who arrived in Islamabad last month.

A committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the interior secretary to further tighten and improve passport laws.

The interior minister said that the deportees were causing embarrassment to Pakistan at international level, adding that no concessions would be made to them in the future.

Over some time, the phenomenon of Pakistani beggars going abroad has emerged. Organised groups are behind this and authorities are trying to catch hold of such criminals.