Over the past few years, 40,000 Pakistani citizens have disappeared after visiting religious centers in Iran, Iraq, and Syria, and the Pakistani government has been unable to obtain information about them.

Axar.az reports that the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Pakistan has released a statement on this.

“These individuals disappeared after entering their destination countries, and there is no accurate information about their current location and condition,” the statement says.

The Baloch Activists Campaign, citing documents and sources, stated that the missing Pakistani pilgrims are related to Iran:

“According to the documents obtained, the disappearance of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims is related to their recruitment into the proxy forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The proxy groups “Zainabiyyun” and “Fatimyyun”, operating under the leadership and support of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have been recruiting Pakistani and Afghan youth to fight on the front lines of war in other countries under the guise of pilgrimage for years.”

According to the campaign, after entering Iran, these individuals were transferred to military training camps under the control of the IRGC and began receiving various military, political, and ideological training.

It is alleged that these individuals were placed in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Central Asian countries, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkiye under various names and that they would be used as saboteurs when necessary.

Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs announced that it has taken new measures to prevent the country's citizens from being recruited into armed and terrorist groups:

"Registration for sending pilgrims will now be carried out only through a digital monitoring system, and all groups going on pilgrimage will be allowed to leave the country after the control and approval of security agencies."