Hundreds of Pakistani Shiite Muslims deported from the United Arab Emirates are returning home to shattered livelihoods, frozen savings and growing uncertainty, according to a Reuters investigation that has raised fresh concerns over alleged sectarian profiling in the Gulf region.
Families Return Home With Nothing
In Pakistan’s Chakwal district and other Shiite-majority areas, deported workers say they were forced onto flights without access to their belongings, bank accounts or years of accumulated savings. Reuters reviewed immigration records and interviewed dozens of deportees who claimed they were detained suddenly and given no explanation before being expelled from the UAE.
Many of those affected had spent decades working in Dubai and other emirates, supporting extended families through remittances sent back to Pakistan. Several deportees described losing jobs, homes and businesses overnight.
Claims of Sectarian Targeting
A database compiled by Pakistani Shiite political group Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen reportedly lists around 7,500 Shiites deported from the UAE since February 2026, following heightened regional tensions linked to the Iran conflict. Community leaders claim the actual number could be much higher.
Human Rights Watch and other rights organisations have expressed concern over the allegations. Michael Page, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, described the reports as “deeply alarming” and confirmed that investigations are underway.
Rights advocates say there have been earlier reports of arbitrary detentions involving foreign Shiite residents in the UAE, but recent deportations appear to mark a significant escalation.
UAE and Pakistan Respond
The UAE government has not publicly explained the criteria used for the deportations and declined to comment on Reuters’ questions regarding the allegations. Pakistan’s Interior Ministry stated that deportations were linked to violations of UAE regulations and denied claims of sectarian discrimination.
However, a senior Pakistani official told Reuters that Islamabad was reviewing the situation after receiving thousands of deportees from the Gulf nation.
Economic and Human Impact
The issue carries major economic implications for Pakistan, where remittances from nearly 1.8 million workers in the UAE contribute billions of dollars annually to the country’s economy.
For many deportees, the sudden return has meant starting over from scratch. One former Dubai worker told Reuters that after spending years building a stable life abroad, he was “back to zero in the blink of an eye.”
