Pakistan passport cancellation: Five-year travel ban and criminal cases against deportees

Dubai: The Pakistani government has decided to impose a five-year travel ban and register FIRs (First Information Reports) to take legal action against thousands of deported citizens involved in organised begging and other unlawful activities abroad.

Pakistan officials concerned revealed during a recent Senate committee meeting that the passports of 7,873 deportees are being cancelled, with their names added to the Passport Control List (PCL), a measure that bars issuance or renewal of travel documents.

The move targets individuals repatriated from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar between 2019 and 2025, where they were caught participating in criminal rackets, including international begging syndicates.

International pressure

The decision was made amid rising international pressure and concerns over Pakistan’s global image. The update came during a session of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, chaired by Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, where federal and immigration officials outlined a multi-agency response to unlawful migration and criminal exploitation of foreign labor channels.

Employment promoters under scrutiny

Investigations have also revealed that 1,460 of the deportees had travelled abroad via 691 licensed Overseas Employment Promoters (OEPs). The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis has issued show-cause notices to these promoters, and officials recommended criminal proceedings against those found complicit in facilitating the migration of individuals later involved in illicit activities.

The committee called for full transparency and demanded the publication of names of the OEPs responsible for sending the highest number of such individuals. Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro criticised the lack of oversight, warning that such incidents severely harm Pakistan’s diplomatic relations and labor market credibility abroad.

Legal debate

Senator Shahadat Awan raised legal concerns about revoking passports for offenses committed outside Pakistan’s jurisdiction, urging the government to develop a clear legal framework.

In response, government officials defended the move as essential for national security and international accountability, particularly in response to demands from Gulf nations hosting millions of Pakistani workers.

Rising deportations

According to Director General Passport and Immigration of Pakistan Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Pakistanis overstaying their visas or seeking asylum continue to pose a serious challenge. In 2024 alone, 34,000 were deported from Iran and nearly 50,000 from Iraq, mostly due to unauthorised stays. An estimated 125,000 Pakistanis applied for asylum in European countries in the past year, often citing economic hardship.

Interior Ministry

In a parallel development, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, chairing a meeting in Islamabad, announced broader enforcement actions to tighten border security and root out domestic criminal networks.

Naqvi said that the begging mafia must be dismantled and proposed declaring it a non-bailable offense. He confirmed that NADRA will deploy live data verification systems at exit points, strengthening the “One Document Regime” to prevent undocumented migration. The five-year travel bans, legal action against employment promoters, and a digitised crackdown on internal mafias represent a coordinated effort to restore the country’s image and control unlawful migration flows, he added. .