Senate panel told: 44,000 beggars traveling on pilgrim visas offloaded in 2.5 years

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel was informed on Wednesday that 44,000 professional beggars who were trying to travel to Saudi Arabia on pilgrim visas were offloaded in the last 2.5 years.

A sub-committee of Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development meeting which was held here with Senator Rukhsana Zuberi in the chair, was briefed about the growing trend of professional beggars – once notorious on the streets and traffic signals in the country – have now started exploiting pilgrim visas for ‘beggarization’ in Saudi Arabia.

The officials from the Interior Ministry told the panel that during the last two and a half years, 44,000 professional beggars were offloaded and efforts are underway to discourage the mafias from disgracing the country.

The officials from the Foreign Affairs Ministry proposed to put a check and balance system in place while issuing passports, adding the Interior Ministry should increase the screening of individuals before issuance of passports.

The officials of the Overseas Pakistanis Ministry proposed that the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) should block the computerized national identity cards (CNICs) of those involved in ‘beggarization’.

Senator Zuberi directed the Interior Ministry to take necessary actions against the growing trend of beggary in Middle Eastern countries.

She also stressed the need for providing employment opportunities to the youth as the country comprises 60 per cent unemployed youth, adding smart and short training programmes in medical, nursing, midwifery, and other potential sectors will serve as a guiding light in relinquishing the overgrowing unemployment rate.

The executive director Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) apprised the committee that a suitable portion of seats could be reserved for children of overseas Pakistanis, following in the footsteps of private medical colleges.

Senator Zuberi recommended that an online portal providing real-time details of job opportunities available in several countries with details of skills required for the job and necessary details of the institutions specialized in such training should be established.

However, the Overseas Ministry proposed that the Information Technology Ministry and Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) should be taken on board for this purpose.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024