Fact-check: No, Umrah pilgrims are not required to submit a declaration promising not to beg
There is no official requirement mandating Pakistani Umrah pilgrims to submit a written declaration, but airport authorities have been instructed to monitor individuals who may engage in begging
Updated Thursday Dec 12 2024
Pakistani social media is awash with claims that the Pakistani government has introduced new guidelines requiring Umrah pilgrims to submit a written declaration before travelling, promising not to engage in begging in Saudi Arabia.
The claim is misleading.
Claim
On November 20, a user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote: “Pakistani Umrah pilgrims must submit a written declaration that they will not beg for money before boarding for Saudi Arabia.”
At the time of writing, this post had been viewed over 851,000 times, reposted over 2,300 times, and liked over 11,000 times.
On November 21, an Instagram user posted a similar claim, writing: “Pakistani Umrah pilgrims must now submit a written declaration affirming that they will not beg for money before travelling to Saudi Arabia.”
This post has been liked over 2,600 times and shared over 1,100 times to date.
Fact
There is no official requirement mandating Pakistani Umrah pilgrims to submit a written declaration promising not to beg. However, airport authorities have been instructed to monitor individuals who may engage in begging while in Saudi Arabia.
Chaudhry Salik Hussain, the federal minister for religious affairs and interfaith harmony, told Geo Fact Check over the phone: “The claim of a written declaration is false. It is 100% false.”
He clarified that there are no such instructions from the Ministry of Religious Affairs nor from the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development or the Ministry of Interior.
Waqas, an officer in the office of the Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), also confirmed that no written declaration is required. He added that passengers were profiled routinely to ensure no one was abusing the system to travel to Saudi Arabia for begging.
“There are instructions [from the government to keep a check on beggars],” he added.
Abdullah Hafeez Khan, the spokesperson for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), also denied any requirement for a written declaration.
This was further corroborated by travel agents from Al Malik Travels and Tours in Islamabad, Bliss Travels and Tours in Lahore, and Xperts Travel in Karachi.
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Cover Image Credit: CAA Pakistan