ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday said its nationals deported from the UAE and unable to recover assets left behind in the Gulf state can seek assistance through Pakistani diplomatic missions, as Islamabad sought to reassure expatriates amid concerns over recent deportations.
The issue has drawn attention in recent months after mainstream and social media reports claimed large numbers of Pakistanis were being expelled from the UAE, with some reports linking the deportations to Pakistan’s diplomatic support for Iran during the regional conflict that followed US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets earlier this year.
Pakistani and Emirati authorities have rejected such claims, saying deportations were related to immigration violations and other legal matters. The UAE hosts one of the world’s largest Pakistani expatriate communities and is a major source of remittances for Pakistan.
Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said reports suggesting mass deportations were inaccurate and that the number of deportees was far lower than figures circulating online.
“Let’s first underscore that the figure is around three to four thousand. So any figures which go into five or six figures that have been reported are exaggerated,” he told reporters during a weekly briefing.
Asked about reports that some deported Pakistanis had been unable to access savings, property or other assets left in the UAE, Andrabi said affected individuals could seek assistance through Pakistan’s diplomatic missions.
“And any assets that is left behind will be recovered and I am sure that the authorities in Abu Dhabi would not want to hold any private assets of any individual,” he said.
Andrabi said Pakistani embassies and consulates in the UAE were working with local authorities to resolve such cases and expressed confidence in the Gulf state’s legal and administrative systems.
Separately, the spokesman rejected Indian criticism of Pakistan’s handling of recent unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the Pakistan-administered part of the disputed Kashmir region.
The comments came after deadly clashes between protesters and security forces in AJK this week. The unrest was linked to protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a recently banned alliance that opposes the reservation of 12 seats in the region’s legislative assembly for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir and their descendants living elsewhere in Pakistan.
At least 11 people were killed in clashes in Rawalakot on Sunday, after which authorities launched a crackdown and registered cases against several JAAC leaders. India subsequently expressed concern over the situation and called on Pakistan to respect the rights of Kashmiris.
Andrabi dismissed India’s remarks, saying Pakistan was addressing the situation through constitutional and democratic mechanisms and accusing New Delhi of attempting to divert attention from conditions in Indian-administered Kashmir.
“We reject India’s remarks in their entirety,” he said.
The spokesman also criticized recent comments by India’s water resources minister, who said New Delhi was working to ensure that no water flowed into Pakistan.
India suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty last year following a sharp deterioration in relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. The treaty governs the sharing of waters from the Indus river system, which supports hundreds of millions of people in both countries.
“Any deliberate attempt to block water essential to Pakistan’s survival and development would constitute an extremely grave act with far-reaching consequences,” Andrabi said.
