Pakistan is facing fresh international embarrassment after reports emerged that thousands of Pakistani Shia Muslims were abruptly expelled from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with many allegedly detained, stripped of jobs, and financially crippled overnight. The mass deportations have once again raised troubling questions about Pakistan’s growing reputation as a hub of instability, sectarian extremism and regional security concerns.
Sudden Deportations Trigger Panic in Pakistan
International Desk: Reports indicate that a large number of Pakistani nationals living and working in the UAE for years were suddenly rounded up and deported without prior notice. Several deportees claimed they were denied even basic dignity, with authorities allegedly confiscating mobile phones, freezing bank accounts and terminating employment contracts before putting them on flights back to Pakistan.
The crackdown reportedly intensified after 28 February amid soaring tensions in the Middle East following the Iran-Israel conflict. As regional security concerns escalated, scrutiny over suspected ideological and financial links also appeared to increase sharply.
Pakistani Shia organisation Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen has claimed that nearly 7,500 Pakistani Shias have been expelled from the UAE since late February. Its spokesperson, Mohsin Abidi, warned that the real figure could be significantly higher. Leaders from Pakistan’s troubled Kurram district stated that nearly 1,500 people from their area alone had been deported.
“Do You Fund Iran?”
Several deportees alleged that UAE authorities questioned them over possible links to Iran during interrogations. Some claimed they were directly asked: “Do you fund Iran?” — a development that underscores deepening regional suspicion surrounding Pakistani networks operating in Gulf countries.
One Pakistani worker, employed with Dubai Metro for 16 years, said he was handcuffed, detained for nine days and then deported without explanation. “Everything ended in a moment; I was back to zero,” he said.
Ali Ahmed Naqvi and his wife, Qurratul Ain, who had moved to Dubai for technology-sector jobs, also claimed they were abruptly targeted. According to them, Qurratul Ain was detained during a visa update process and later deported, while Naqvi was stopped at the airport and sent back with 93 other Pakistani Shias.
Pakistan Under Growing Global Suspicion
While the UAE Foreign Ministry has remained silent on the controversy, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry insisted that the deportations were linked to violations of UAE laws rather than religious identity. However, Islamabad’s defensive response has done little to calm fears inside Pakistan, where thousands of families dependent on Gulf incomes now face financial ruin.
Human Rights Watch has called the reports “deeply concerning” and said it is reviewing the allegations. The organisation has previously accused the UAE of arbitrary detention and deportation of Shia Muslims.
The episode delivers yet another blow to Pakistan’s already fragile international standing. With nearly 1.8 million Pakistanis working in the UAE and billions of dollars flowing back annually in remittances, the sudden deportations threaten severe economic consequences for thousands of households already struggling under Pakistan’s worsening financial crisis.
