Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Affairs, rejected suggestions that the Pakistani government had sent 5,500 beggars to Saudi Arabia.

Speaking in parliament on Monday, Chaudhry said: “Saudi authorities informed us that they had detained 5,500 Pakistani beggars on their territory and said: ‘These are people you sent to us.’ They left Pakistan on valid passports and valid visas, so what are we supposed to do when they tell us: ‘You sent them to us’?”

He added: “At the same time, Pakistani citizens accuse us of helping Saudi Arabia deport our nationals arbitrarily by accepting their return without requiring proof of the allegations against them. So what are we supposed to do in that situation as well?”