Pakistan Defence Minister says ‘begging mafia’ causes Gulf countries to cancel visas
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif shared a shocking video on social media that reveals how beggars in the country earn enough to buy homes through organised networks, which he says is a problem that has prompted Gulf countries to stop issuing visas.
The video shows a Pakistani man speaking with a child beggar, exposing how entire families work together to generate substantial income through begging.
Commenting on the video, Asif said “begging has become a profession” that is “organised”. “There are formal contractors who recruit children, women, and fake disabled people and earn billions. This same mafia exports these beggars to Gulf countries in the thousands.”
Fed up, these Gulf countries have now stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis, he added in the caption.
The scale of the problem is evident in government data. The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development revealed that over 7,800 Pakistanis were deported from 2019 to 2025 for different charges, including beggary. In response, Pakistan began cancelling passports of deportees in 2025.
Asif also accused Pakistani airport staff of being complicit in these rackets, claiming that across the country, this “business” provides the most “employment”. He added: “This business cannot exist in any city without the patronage of the administration and the police.”
What the video reveals
In the footage, the interviewer asks the child about his earnings. The boy shares details of what he and his three brothers make on an average day — a total of PKR12,000, according to the man’s calculations.
When questioned about his brother who visibly limps, the child admits his sibling “acts” and is not actually disabled. The young boy also reveals that his family has purchased a home in Faisalabad’s Millat Town locality.
The man interviewing the child urges viewers to be mindful of their donations during the holy month of Ramadan. He asks people to give to friends and family struggling with medical bills or putting food on the table, rather than supporting beggars, which, he argues, only perpetuates such rackets.
