AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): According to statistical data and immigration documents obtained by Reuters, approximately 7,500 Pakistani Shia citizens have been deported by Emirati authorities since February 28. Many of these individuals, who had worked in the country for years, report being suddenly expelled without access to their bank savings or even the opportunity to collect their personal belongings, and were returned to rural areas of Pakistan. Shia political organizations in Pakistan, including the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), believe the actual figures far exceed the official numbers, and that this process accelerated immediately after the attacks on Iran began and military tensions in the Persian Gulf increased.
While the Pakistani Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior, in their official statements, deny any expulsions based on religious issues, attributing the cause to "violation of residency laws," government officials have acknowledged in informal discussions that Islamabad is refraining from publicizing this crisis for diplomatic reasons. Human rights activists, however, believe the targeting of these individuals is solely due to their religion. Michael Page, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch, described these reports as "very concerning" and announced the initiation of an investigation by the organization into the systematic violation of these workers' rights.
The consequences of these widespread expulsions, beyond their humanitarian dimension, have placed severe economic pressure on areas such as Chakwal and Karam in Pakistan—regions where the livelihood of many households depended on remittances sent from the UAE. Given the presence of 1.8 million Pakistanis in the UAE, who annually inject over $6 billion into Pakistan's economy, any change in the immigration policies of Dubai and Abu Dhabi could bring profound social and economic crises for the Pakistani government. Civil activists warn that these treatments have also seriously threatened the psychological and job security of other Shia Muslims working in Persian Gulf countries.
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