It was revealed during the meeting in a parliamentary panel that around 135,000 Pakistanis have sought political asylum in Western countries for the past two years. The committee was also told that 52,000 Pakistanis have been deported from neighboring countries, including Iran during the same period.

Senate’s Standing Committee for Overseas Pakistanis held a meeting on Tuesday. During the session, led by Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, the Director General of Passport revealed that 125,000 Pakistanis in Europe and more than 10,000 in the United States had applied for political asylum.

He informed the committee that some countries did not imprison Pakistani citizens arriving there with illegal funds but immediately repatriate them to Pakistan.

“34,000 Pakistanis were deported from Iran last year. Passport for deported individuals has been blocked, while those involved in criminal activities get strict penalties,” he said.

DG noted that over 10.3 million skilled Pakistani professionals are currently working abroad.

Previously, officials of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis declared that Saudi Arabia has reduced the number of visas issued to Pakistanis and tightened the criteria for eligibility.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) informed the committee that since 2023 over 52,000 Pakistanis have been deported, including 5,000 beggars deported from Saudi -Arabia.