While Pakistan’s leaders beg the IMF for billion-dollar bailouts, its citizens are being deported en masse from foreign nations for panhandling—including from Ethiopia, one of the world’s poorest countries. Yes, Ethiopia — a country where, according to the 2023 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), nearly 69% of the population lives in multidimensional poverty, with over 41% suffering severe deprivation — is still somehow seen as a land of opportunity by desperate Pakistani nationals.
The absurdity of the situation is hard to overstate. Ethiopia, whose MPI value (0.367) places it among the most impoverished nations globally, is now witnessing an influx of Pakistani beggars. This raises the awkward question: When your citizens are begging in countries where most people can barely afford food, what does that say about your own country’s condition?
Ethiopia is the poorest country in the world and somehow Pakistanis managed to beg in front of them🤣🤣🤣
Porkistanis are built different pic.twitter.com/1ylFFpyNCf
— Hindutva Knight (@HPhobiaWatch) May 26, 2025
The irony is as tragic as it is telling: a nation that boasts of being the “Islamic nuclear power” has been reduced to exporting beggars to destitute African nations.
Pakistan’s Beggar Export Business Hits New Lows
Recent government data reveals that 5,402 Pakistanis were deported from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, and other Gulf nations in just four months—primarily for begging. But the humiliation doesn’t end there. Reports confirm that Pakistani beggars have now infiltrated Ethiopia, where 68.7% of the population lives in multidimensional poverty.
Imagine the desperation: a country so bankrupt that its citizens fly to a nation poorer than itself just to beg. While Ethiopia struggles with malnutrition, lack of education, and crumbling infrastructure, Pakistanis are showing up with outstretched hands. If this isn’t rock bottom, what is?
A National Embarrassment Even Pakistan’s Leaders Can’t Deny
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif admitted that 22 million Pakistanis (nearly 10% of the population) are involved in begging, generating Rs. 42 billion annually. That’s right—begging is now a lucrative industry in the “land of the pure.”
Even Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif once lamented that Pakistanis are seen as beggars in “friendly countries.” Three years later, the situation has only worsened. The IMF’s $1 billion lifeline in June 2024 didn’t stop the begging crisis—it only reinforced Pakistan’s reputation as the world’s most shameless welfare state. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also released a $1.023 billion aid package to Pakistan shortly after India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
Why Ethiopia? Because Even War-Torn Nations Won’t Tolerate Pakistani Beggars
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar have tightened visa rules for Pakistanis after repeated scandals of pilgrims turning into professional beggars. Iraq deported 247 Pakistanis this year alone. With Gulf nations cracking down, Pakistani beggars are now scouting for softer targets—like Ethiopia, where law enforcement may be less vigilant.
A Failed State with a Begging-Based Economy
Pakistan’s economy survives on IMF bailouts, Chinese debt, and remittances from overseas laborers. Now, it seems begging is the next big export. From harassing tourists in Istanbul to swarming holy sites in Saudi Arabia, Pakistani beggars are a global menace.
But sending them to Ethiopia—a country battling famine and war—is a new low. If Pakistan’s leaders had any shame left, they’d declare a national emergency. Instead, they’ll probably just ask for another IMF handout to fund their next begging syndicate.
Final Thought: When your citizens are begging in nations poorer than yours, it’s time to admit—you’re not just a failing state. You’re a joke.
(With inputs from Financial Express)
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