A recent session of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis revealed that nearly 135,000 Pakistani citizens have applied for political asylum in Western countries over the past two years.
Chaired by Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, the meeting disclosed that 125,000 of these asylum applications were filed in European nations, while over 10,000 were submitted in the United States. The Director General of Passports stated that certain countries, although not jailing Pakistani migrants who enter illegally, deport them promptly.
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The committee was further informed that 52,000 Pakistanis have been deported from neighboring countries, including 34,000 from Iran alone in the past year. The passports of those deported have been blocked, and strict legal actions are being taken against individuals involved in criminal activities abroad.
Additionally, officials reported that more than 10.3 million skilled Pakistanis are currently employed overseas. However, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis raised concerns about Saudi Arabia’s reduced visa issuance and stricter eligibility requirements for Pakistani workers.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also confirmed that since 2023, over 52,000 Pakistanis, including 5,000 beggars from Saudi Arabia, have been deported.
