Over 20,000 Pakistanis deported from Gulf states, Saudi Arabia tops list

Lahore,UPDATED: Aug 21, 2026 17:16 IST

More than 20,000 Pakistani nationals were deported from Gulf countries between March 1 and July 13, mostly from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, due to security concerns and a range of other reasons, according to official data presented in Pakistan's Assembly on Thursday.

The data, shared by the Narcotics Control Ministry, also said several Pakistanis were detained or deported for filming or uploading videos and other material related to Iranian attacks in their cities amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US.

The figures cover deportations from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The ministry said the deportations were carried out for reasons including security concerns, overstaying, illegal entry, begging, drug-related offences, refusal of asylum claims, and forged or improper documentation.

According to the data, 4,628 absconders were deported, while 1,294 jailed people, 968 blacklisted individuals, 1,155 people linked to deportation cases involving lost passports, 689 Pakistanis for visa violations, and 342 in refused-entry cases were also sent back from Gulf states. More than 6,000 deportations were placed under the broad category of "Others", without the ministry sharing further details.

Saudi Arabia accounted for the highest number of deportations at 15,500, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 3,803, Oman with 1,606, Bahrain with 521, Qatar with 429, and Kuwait with 97, the figures showed.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, replying to supplementary questions on Thursday, said the figures covered only those who were formally detained by authorities in the respective countries and deported after Pakistani missions issued them emergency travel documents. Pakistanis who returned voluntarily or travelled back on valid passports were not included, he said.

The ministry data also said several Pakistanis were detained or deported after filming or uploading videos and material related to the Iranian attack. In March, Bahrain announced the arrest of six people, including five Pakistanis, for filming, publishing and reposting videos related to the effects of Iranian strikes in the kingdom, Dawn reported. The report also said members of the Shia community faced increased scrutiny in some Gulf states during the conflict.

The official figures show that over 20,000 Pakistanis were deported from Gulf countries in a little over four months, with Saudi Arabia accounting for the largest share, while the cases ranged from security-related issues to visa violations and other offences.

With PTI Inputs

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