Pakistani Shias Deported from UAE Report Lost Jobs and Frozen Savings

Pakistani Shias Deported from UAE Report Lost Jobs and Frozen Savings
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More than 100 Pakistani Shia Muslims have returned from the United Arab Emirates to Pakistan’s Chakwal district after deportation, with many saying they lost jobs, belongings, and access to years of savings, according to a Reuters report.

Reuters said it reviewed immigration documents, visa-status screenshots, and flight details for 103 Pakistanis who identified themselves as deported Shias, and interviewed 24 of them. The interviewees said they were placed on flights without being able to recover luggage or savings.

A database compiled by Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen, a Pakistani Shia political organization, listed 7,500 Pakistani Shias deported from the UAE since February 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran. The group said the real number may be higher.

The UAE did not respond to Reuters’ questions, while Pakistan’s interior ministry said no one had been deported on sectarian grounds and that deportations were linked to violations of UAE regulations. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said deportation figures had remained steady this year.

Human Rights Watch said it is investigating the reports, while rights groups noted that arbitrary detention of foreign nationals of Shia origin in the Gulf has been documented for years. The deportations have raised concern among Pakistan’s Shia community, particularly as Gulf tensions have increased during the Iran war.