The United Arab Emirates deported approximately 3,500 Pakistani nationals for violating local social media regulations during the Iran-US conflict, Pakistan’s National Assembly was briefed this week, as the government simultaneously announced the dismissal of 100 Federal Investigation Agency officials over their involvement in facilitating illegal migration networks.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, addressing the assembly during Question Hour, clarified that the UAE enforced its own domestic social media laws and did not specifically target Pakistani nationals as a group. He confirmed that the government was extending all possible assistance to the affected individuals and their families. Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Aoun Chaudhry added context by noting that the deportation figure, while significant in absolute terms, represents a small fraction of the large Pakistani community residing and working in the UAE, which remains one of the primary destinations for Pakistani workers and professionals abroad.
On the separate but related issue of undocumented migration, the government confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered strict administrative action against Federal Investigation Agency officials who had been enabling illegal migration networks, resulting in the formal dismissal of 100 personnel. Airport screening mechanisms have also been significantly tightened as part of the same effort to curb human smuggling, which officials described as a growing challenge that has resulted in the loss of lives among Pakistanis attempting to reach Europe through dangerous routes via Libya and Gulf countries.
The parliamentary session also covered the welfare of Pakistanis detained abroad, with Aoun Chaudhry confirming that no Pakistani nationals are currently on death row in Spain, Portugal, or the United Kingdom, all of which have abolished capital punishment. Pakistani diplomatic missions in these countries maintain dedicated support sections that conduct regular prison visits, provide legal assistance, and coordinate with local authorities on behalf of detained nationals. Nine Pakistani prisoners were repatriated from the United Kingdom between 2024 and 2025 under a bilateral transfer agreement. The government also confirmed it is actively working to secure the release of Pakistanis held by Somali pirates, with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar personally overseeing these efforts, while a separate case involving the killing of a Pakistani national from Mardan in Italy is being actively pursued by Pakistan’s embassy in Rome, with the government committing to cover repatriation costs and provide financial assistance to the family.
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