According to a Channel 14 report, authorities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have quietly carried out a dramatic wave of deportations targeting Shiite Pakistani workers since the outbreak of the war with Iran.
The report, based on a Reuters investigation, says more than 100 Pakistani Shiite Muslims recently returned from the United Arab Emirates to villages in Pakistan’s Chakwal district after being removed without the chance to collect their belongings or access their savings. Some said they were detained, placed in temporary holding facilities, and then quickly put on flights back to Pakistan.
Political and community sources in Pakistan claim the real number may be much higher. A database compiled by the Shiite political group Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen says around 7,500 Shiite Pakistanis have been returned from the Gulf since June 28, when the US and Israel reportedly began strikes against Iran, followed by Iranian missile and drone attacks toward the UAE.
The UAE has not issued a formal response to the detailed questions raised in the investigation. Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, however, said the UAE did not deport anyone because of religious or sectarian identity, and claimed the removals were based only on immigration violations and local laws.