Hina Rabbani Khar flags sect-based expulsions of Pakistanis

Pakistan’s National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs has raised serious concerns over reports that Pakistani workers are being expelled from Bahrain and other Middle Eastern countries allegedly because of their sect or religious affiliation.

Committee Chairperson Hina Rabbani Khar termed the reports extremely worrying and said the issue could not be ignored. She called for greater attention from the government and Parliament and stressed the need to examine the allegations carefully.

Khar also said the matter involved sensitive diplomatic concerns. She offered an in-camera briefing to the relevant embassies and said they could approach the committee if they wanted to provide lawmakers with confidential details.

Foreign Ministry officials briefed the committee on the issue and described it as highly sensitive. Following a request from the ministry, the committee continued its proceedings in camera. Ambassadors from the countries concerned also reportedly briefed members during the closed-door session.

The discussion comes as Pakistan continues to deal with the deportation of its citizens from several Gulf states. Government figures presented last month showed that 21,951 Pakistanis were deported from Gulf countries between March 1 and July 13, 2026. Bahrain accounted for 521 of those deportations.

Officials have cited several reasons for the expulsions, including visa violations, overstaying, illegal entry, security-related cases and other immigration offences.

However, the available figures do not establish that the deportations were linked to sectarian affiliation. The parliamentary committee’s latest discussion relates specifically to separate allegations that some Pakistani workers may have been targeted because of their sect or religious identity.

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry has previously rejected claims that Pakistani citizens were being deported on a country-specific or sect-specific basis. It maintained that deportations were being carried out under the immigration laws and regulations of host countries.

The ministry has also said that individual cases are taken up through diplomatic channels when required.

The issue remains particularly sensitive because of longstanding concerns about sectarian discrimination in parts of the Gulf region. Any confirmed targeting of Pakistani workers on religious grounds could create diplomatic complications and raise concerns about the rights and protection of Pakistani nationals working abroad.