UAE surveillance led to mass deportations of Pakistani Shia workers, claim victims

• Tens of thousands of Pakistani Shia Muslims were forcibly deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in recent months. Workers were suddenly detained, stripped of their savings and belongings and put on flights back to Pakistan without any explanation or formal charges.
• The deportations were preceded by a long-term surveillance system targeting Shia Muslims. At Shia prayer halls (imambargahs), worshippers were required to scan their ID cards, while Sunni mosques faced no such checks. This data was allegedly used by security agencies to map Shia networks and later target individuals for expulsion.
• The security climate worsened after the UAE normalized relations with Israel through the 2020 Abraham Accords. Public Shia religious events came under increased surveillance. Additionally, rising tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States led Gulf states like the UAE to view Shia communities as potential proxies for Iranian influence, further intensifying the crackdown.
• Immigration procedures began targeting Pakistani surnames commonly associated with Shia communities (e.g., Hussain, Zaidi). Applicants from Pakistani districts with large Shia populations faced heightened scrutiny. Many workers were denied re-entry or had their visas delayed, with some even misidentified and deported for simply visiting Shia venues for free meals.
• An estimated 15,000 Pakistanis may have been affected, leaving many families destitute after decades of work. Despite these allegations, Pakistan’s government has denied that Gulf states are specifically targeting Shia workers, calling such reports “malafide propaganda.” Deportees, however, insist their only crime was their religious identity.

Tens of thousands of Pakistani Shia Muslims have been forcibly deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in recent months, with victims alleging that years of systematic surveillance targeting their religious identity led to the expulsion.

The deportations began quietly, with workers returning unexpectedly to their villages across Pakistan without luggage or any warning to their families. But within weeks, a pattern emerged: mostly Shia Muslim men who had spent decades building lives in the UAE were suddenly detained and put on flights home, stripped of their savings, belongings and livelihood.

Surveillance started long before the war

While the deportations have accelerated amid escalating tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States, deportees told reporters that profiling of Shia Muslims began years earlier.

Workers described a sophisticated surveillance system operating at Shia congregation halls, known as imambargahs, where worshippers are required to scan their Emirates ID cards before entering. Such biometric checks are rarely imposed at Sunni mosques.

Community advocates believe that attendance data, identity records and biometric information collected at these religious venues over the years may have been used by security agencies to map Shia networks and identify individuals later targeted for deportation.

One deportee described being intercepted inside the Dubai Mall after being flagged through CCTV cameras. Security personnel already knew exactly who he was before approaching him.

Another worker, a Sunni Muslim who occasionally visited imambargahs for free meals, was deported after being misidentified as Shia. “Despite being Sunni, I was deported for being Shia,” he said.

The Abraham Accords changed everything

As explained by the Enoch AI engine at BrightU.AI, after the UAE normalized relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords in 2020, Shia expatriates say the security climate shifted dramatically.

While some religious gatherings continued privately, public mourning rituals and Shia events came under increasing surveillance, with worshippers later detained and deported.

Workers alleged that UAE visit visas and employment permits had increasingly been delayed or rejected for Pakistanis carrying surnames commonly associated with Shia communities, including Askari, Hasan, Hussain, Jafri and Zaidi. Applicants from Pakistani districts with large Shia populations faced heightened scrutiny during immigration procedures.

One IT professional who spent a decade working in Dubai said authorities confiscated his bank cards, cash and mobile phone before deportation, leaving him stranded in Pakistan without access to savings. “Nobody accused us of a crime. Nobody showed us evidence,” he said.

“They looked at our faith and decided we no longer belonged there,” added the IT professional.

Geopolitical tensions fuel the crackdown

The deportations cannot be separated from the broader regional conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States. Gulf states like the UAE have long viewed Shia communities through the lens of Iranian influence, particularly after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

These suspicions intensified following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli strike in February. The attack triggered violent protests in Pakistan, resulting in over 35 deaths.

The subsequent emergence of Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the new supreme leader deepened Gulf fears about Iran’s ideological reach.

In April, the UAE’s State Security Department announced it had dismantled a clandestine organization allegedly linked to Iran, reinforcing fears of Iranian influence within expatriate communities.

Thousands left destitute

Community leaders estimate that as many as 15,000 Pakistanis may have been deported or denied re-entry in recent months, though the absence of official data makes independent verification difficult.

Pakistan’s government has denied that Gulf states are specifically targeting Shia workers, calling such reports “malafide propaganda.”

But for the deportees, the denials ring hollow. Many spent decades working in construction, transport and low-paid service jobs, sending remittances that supported entire families.

Now they are back in Pakistan with no savings, no belongings and little recourse to rebuild their lives.

As one deportee put it: “Our only crime is being Shia.”

Watch the video below as the Health Ranger Mike Adams talks about how the oil pricing cartel was fractured after the UAE announced its plans to leave OPEC.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

MiddleEastEye.net

NYTimes.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com