New Delhi, Dec. 24 -- Already grappling with chronic debt, Pakistan is now dealing with another embarrassment on the global stage - its citizens travelling abroad to beg, further tarnishing the country's image. To tackle this problem and amid thousands of its citizens being held and deported from other countries, the Pakistani government has banned professional beggars and citizens with incomplete documents from travelling abroad.

In a statement announcing the government's decision to ban beggars from travelling abroad, Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said "professional beggars and people travelling with incomplete documents will not be allowed to go abroad."

Mohsin Naqvi also asserted that maintaining dignity of his country w...