More than 100 Shi’ite Muslims from a cluster of villages in Pakistan’s predominantly rural Chakwal district have returned from the United Arab Emirates stripped of jobs, belongings and access to the savings they had built over years of working abroad.
They are believed to be among thousands of Shi’ites deported from the UAE during the Iran war, sparking concern within Pakistan’s Shi’ite community and drawing the attention of Human Rights Watch.
Reuters reviewed documents and interviewed 24 Pakistani Shi’ites who said they were deported from the UAE without access to their luggage or savings. A database compiled by Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen claims around 7,500 Pakistani Shi’ites have been deported since February 28, though the group says the real figure may be even higher.
Pakistan’s Shi’ites Say Deportations Have Accelerated
Leaders of Pakistan’s Shi’ite community say the deportations have accelerated during the war, which has heightened tensions across the Gulf, particularly as Iran responded by launching missile and drone strikes on the UAE.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on a list of questions from Reuters about the deportations.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said in a statement the UAE had not deported anyone based on sect, saying any deportations were for violating UAE regulations. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said “deportation figures remain steady” this year, without providing details.
But a senior Pakistani government official, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Islamabad was “reviewing the situation after receiving thousands of Pakistanis deported from UAE”, most of them Shi’ites. He said the Pakistani government had not openly taken up the case for “diplomatic reasons”, without offering details.
Human Rights Watch’s deputy Middle East and North Africa director, Michael Page, said that “reports of UAE deportations of Pakistani Shia residents are deeply alarming” and the group was “investigating these serious allegations”.
About 1.8 million Pakistanis live and work in the UAE, according to the Association of Overseas Pakistanis, accounting for more than $6 billion a year in remittances to Pakistan, which has also been working as a mediator to de-escalate the Iran conflict.
After Iran, Pakistan has the world’s biggest Shi’ite population, at around 40 million, or 17% of Pakistan’s total. The UAE and other Gulf Arab states are Sunni-ruled.
‘Back To Zero’
“The crackdown on Shia Muslims in the UAE is not new,” said MENA Rights Group, warning that recent reports suggest an escalation. Several deported Pakistanis said they were detained without explanation, stripped of belongings, and flown back alongside other Shi’ite detainees.
Among them was Ali Ahmed Naqvi, who said he and his wife were deported from Dubai after immigration authorities detained them during a visa process. Others from Pakistan’s Kurram and Chakwal districts described losing jobs, businesses and years of savings overnight, with some alleging they were questioned over links to Iran before being deported.
(With inputs from Reuters)
