Pakistan’s Religious Leaders Declare Illegal Overseas Travel Forbidden

Clerics at Jamia Naeemia issue religious edict, warning agents against capitalising on peoples’ sufferings

Sat Jan 18 2025
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ISLAMABAD: Religious scholars in Pakistan have issued a fatwa (religious decree) declaring the use of “dunki” (illegal immigration methods) to travel abroad as both unlawful and contrary to Islamic principles.

The decree, articulated by Dr Mufti Raghib Hussain Naeemi and Mufti Imran Hanfi from Jamia Naeemia in Lahore, emphasised that resorting to unlawful means for migration not only contravenes the law but also breaches the principles of Shariah.

The edict highlighted that actions such as suicide or any behaviour that jeopardises one’s life are fundamentally opposed to Islamic teachings.

It stated that anyone who takes their own life or engages in actions leading to death was not permitted within the tenets of Islam and urged individuals contemplating foreign travel to pursue legal and safe avenues instead.

Agents warned

Moreover, the decree declared it unlawful for any agent or intermediary to profit from facilitating illegal travel and called on the government to implement regulations targeting those who exploit the vulnerable lives of citizens.

The tragedies

The religious ruling follows a tragic incident where a migrant boat, carrying 66 Pakistanis, capsized off the coast of Morocco, resulting in the loss of at least 50 lives.

The ill-fated vessel set sail from Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants aboard, and Moroccan authorities have since rescued 36 individuals.

The rise in human trafficking and maritime disasters involving migrants has become increasingly alarming, with numerous Pakistani lives lost in recent months.

Notably, at least 80 Pakistanis perished when their boat sank near Greece on the night of December 13-14, 2024.

Among the most catastrophic events was the Greek boat tragedy in 2023, where a fishing trawler overloaded with migrants capsized in the Mediterranean, claiming hundreds of lives, including 262 Pakistanis.

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