{"id":19187,"date":"2026-05-25T19:23:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T19:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/2026\/05\/25\/gulf-repatriations-surge-pakistan-acts\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T19:23:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T19:23:40","slug":"gulf-repatriations-surge-pakistan-acts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/2026\/05\/25\/gulf-repatriations-surge-pakistan-acts\/","title":{"rendered":"Gulf Repatriations Surge as Pakistan Acts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A total of <strong>164,788<\/strong> Pakistani nationals were repatriated from Gulf Cooperation Council countries between January 2021 and April 2026, figures presented during a National Assembly question and answer session show. The data, requested by MNA Asiya Naz Tanoli, has renewed debate over the scale of Gulf repatriations and the protections available to overseas workers.<\/p>\n<p>Breakdown by country shows Saudi Arabia accounted for the largest share with <strong>108,029<\/strong> returns, including <strong>27,692<\/strong> in 2025 and <strong>9,621<\/strong> in the first four months of 2026. The United Arab Emirates reported <strong>40,497<\/strong> deportations, while Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait recorded <strong>9,814<\/strong>, <strong>2,971<\/strong>, <strong>2,779<\/strong> and <strong>698<\/strong> repatriations respectively.<\/p>\n<p>The spike in returns last year, with <strong>38,616<\/strong> Pakistanis repatriated across GCC states in 2025, has alarmed lawmakers and labour rights groups. Observers link the rise in Gulf repatriations to worsening labour disputes, employer non-compliance, and increasing reports of visa breaches that leave workers vulnerable.<\/p>\n<p>Critics warn the statistics reflect persistent issues including systemic exploitation, unpaid wages and poor living conditions. They say existing repatriation mechanisms are reactive rather than preventive, and have urged reforms to recruitment practices, stricter oversight of agencies and better legal support for overseas Pakistanis to reduce further Gulf repatriations.<\/p>\n<p>The Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, said the figures were compiled from official repatriation records of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, and that the Interior Ministry is coordinating with embassies and labour attach\u00e9s to ensure safe returns. Lawmakers emphasised the human cost of abrupt repatriations, highlighting the economic strain on families when workers are returned mid-contract without wages or severance and calling for prompt, proactive measures to protect Pakistanis abroad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gulf repatriations accelerate with 164,788 Pakistanis returned from GCC since 2021; authorities urged to strengthen protections for overseas workers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":19186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}