Thursday 29 / May / 2025
Muscat: Pakistani expats deported from Oman and other countries will have their passports cancelled on arrival, a senior official of the Pakistan government said.
Pakistan’s federal government has decided to take stringent measures against its citizens deported from other countries for illegal activities by cancelling their passports and registering criminal charges, in a bid to curb a growing issue that officials say is tarnishing the country’s international image.
This was announced following a meeting of Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior, chaired by federal interior minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Confirming this to Times of Oman, Ambassador of Pakistan to Oman, Syed Naveed Safdar Bokhari, said, “It’s is a step to check illegal immigration and to ensure that bonafide immigrants and job seekers come to Oman. This will also ensure that if anyone is arrested for violating law in Oman and deported, then that person will not be able to travel abroad again. This measure shows Pakistan’s readiness to take tough measures to curb illegal immigration. This measure will help in ensuring that legal ways of promoting employment for Pakistani citizens in Oman are strengthened.”
According to the Pakistan government, the names of the deported expats will also be placed on the passport control list for five years, putting restrictions on them to travel abroad. This decision was taken after a large number of people were deported from the Gulf and European countries for illegal stays and working illegally.
There are millions of Pakistanis living and working in foreign countries, mainly in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Europe, the US, Australia, Malaysia and others.
The NCSI in Oman said that there were 318,208 Pakistani expatriates in Oman at the end of April 2025.
