MULTAN: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Pakistan took action against alleged beggars attempting to travel to Saudi Arabia under the guise of Umrah pilgrims. Nine individuals, including six women and two men, were apprehended at Multan International Airport.
The FIA Immigration arrested the beggars from a Saudi Arabia-bound flight after they failed to provide details of their hotel reservations during their stay in Saudi Arabia.
The arrested individuals have been transferred to the FIA’s anti-human trafficking cell for further investigation. The FIA spokesperson emphasized that strict monitoring of passengers is ongoing to curb activities related to begging gangs.
This action follows a previous incident where 24 alleged beggars disguised as Umrah pilgrims were offloaded from a Saudi Arabia-bound flight at Multan airport. During immigration processing, these individuals admitted that they intended to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to seek alms.
The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development had earlier informed the Senate Committee on Overseas Pakistanis that a considerable number of beggars are trafficked abroad through illegal channels, prompting increased scrutiny and measures by authorities to address such activities.
US Prison Refuses Meeting Between Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui and Imprisoned Sister Aafia Siddiqui, Citing Lost Keys
In another development, a meeting between Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui and her imprisoned sister, Aafia Siddiqui, at a United States prison was reportedly denied due to the prison authorities claiming to have lost the keys to the visitation cell.
Dr. Fowzia, along with Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam leader Talha Mahmood and British-American lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, had traveled to the U.S. for the meeting.
Despite their efforts, the Carswell authorities informed Dr. Fowzia that the meeting could not take place as the keys to the visitation room were lost. Stafford shared a photo of Dr. Fowzia outside the prison and mentioned that it was supposed to be the sisters’ second meeting in 20 years.
Jamat-e-Islami’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmad criticized the prison authorities’ excuse as ‘comical’ and condemned what he described as the ‘inhumane’ attitude of the jail officials.
