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, The New York Times published a report earlier today stating that the Gulf country had begun a “large-scale expulsion” of Pakistani workers.

The US news outlet spoke to more than 20 Pakistani Shias who worked in the UAE, 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 with a purpose to serve ulterior motives.

“Any issue … with any Pakistani national is always taken up on a case to case basis with the country concerned through established foreign office channels,” it added.

During a weekly briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi was also asked about the “unusually high number” of emergency exit documents (ETD) or outpasses being issued by the Pakistani consulate in the UAE.

In his response, Andrabi said the development was “mainly driven by administrative actions, including immigration status violation and other legal infractions”.

“The Consulate General in Dubai … issued around 2,714 emergency travel documents, while the embassy in Abu Dhabi issued 780 of those, between January to April 2026.

“So this was the four-month record,” he said.

When asked to confirm whether the Pakistani authorities had made inquiries to the Emirati officials and law enforcement agencies about those reports of expulsions, he said: “Our embassy is in touch with the UAE authorities. Our mission has also ensured that in the wake of the hostilities in the Gulf region, and in the wake of very serious armed attacks against the UAE, which we have condemned, our community fully complies with the local laws, with the local instructions.”

He said the Pakistani community, by and large, except for maybe few sporadic cases, had been cooperating with the local authorities in the UAE.

“So, I think this is what the status is. The Ministry of Interior and relevant departments are also seized of this matter (repatriation). This matter is proceeding as per law. I do not see any political reason for their deportation. These are primarily legal cases, which are being taken care of, both by our diplomatic missions in UAE as well as by the UAE authorities.”