 "Why Pakistan has suspended the passports of 2,000 beggars for 7 years")
The Pakistan government has chosen to suspend the passports of more than 2,000 professional beggars who harm the country's image by travelling abroad to seek donations, according to a report by Dawn News.
The report said a list of these individuals has been gathered from Pakistani embassies globally, and requests for supplementary details have been made to Pakistan's Ministry of External Affairs.
The report quoted sources as saying that individuals caught begging outside Pakistan face a seven-year suspension of their passports.
The Pakistani authorities said that begging abroad not only damages Pakistan's reputation but also diminishes the honour of its citizens, underscoring the reasoning behind this strict measure, the report said.
Furthermore, the government intends to invalidate the passports of agents aiding individuals engaged in begging abroad. It has come to light that numerous beggars travel to destinations such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq for pilgrimage or Umrah, only to resort to begging, the report said.
The Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of External Affairs are collaborating to formulate a cohesive policy to tackle this issue. Gathering information on individuals involved in begging overseas is considered an important initial action towards enforcing impactful measures, the report further stated.
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In October last year, as many as 24 individuals, reportedly from Pakistan, posing as pilgrims, were detained before boarding flights bound for Saudi Arabia due to suspicions of intending to engage in begging.
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