Interior ministry denies reports of 'country or sect-specific' deportation of Pakistanis from UAE

The interior ministry on Friday denied reports about the “targeted deportation” of Pakistanis from the United Arab Emirates, asserting that no “country or sect-specific” expulsions from any country, including the UAE, were being carried out. The ministry’s statement contradicts claims on social media that Pakistanis were being deported from the UAE without any reason. In recent days, several media outlets have also reported that Pakistanis are being deported from the UAE. Among them, New York Times published a report earlier today, stating that the Gulf country had started a “large-scale expulsion” of Pakistani workers. The US news outlet spoke to more than 20 Pakistani Shias who worked in the UAE, the report said, adding that “all said they were suddenly arrested, detained and deported in the past month”. The article linked the reported expulsion to what it described as an apparent dent in the relationship between the two countries amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. Following these reports, the interior ministry said in a post on X that it had taken notice of “speculative reporting in sections of media especially social media about targeted deportations of Pakistani nationals from brotherly Islamic country of UAE”. “Having gone through the details and data, it is necessary to state that all such reporting is mala fide and part of vicious propaganda by vested interest. No country or sect specific deportations from any country including UAE are being carried out,” it asserted. The ministry said deportations, if any, were a routine process in line with the host country regulations and legal system, violations of their laws and overstay/ illegal documentation. “At the same time, Pakistani nationals, having fulfilled host country visa and work-based requirements continue to visit/ access work visas in the UAE and other friendly countries without prejudice,” it said. “Fake news being paddled to the contrary along with social media posts is malicious and fabricated wi