By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The interior minister said on Saturday that no traveller with valid documents should be prevented from leaving the country, amid widespread complaints of passengers being arbitrarily removed from flights despite possessing proper paperwork.
The announcement by the minister, Mohsin Naqvi, came during an unannounced visit to Islamabad’s international airport, where he reviewed immigration procedures and spoke directly with departing passengers. It follows months of reports about travellers being offloaded at airports in Lahore, Karachi and elsewhere, often linked to a government crackdown on migrant smuggling that intensified after a boat tragedy off Greece last year killed several Pakistanis.
In a post on the social media platform X, Naqvi said he had met “passengers travelling abroad to hear their concerns directly.” He added that he had “ordered a strict crackdown against visa agents exploiting innocent people” and taken “serious notice of a passenger’s November 7 complaint about low staffing at immigration and directed an immediate inquiry with a review of CCTV footage.”
“No passenger with genuine and complete documents should ever be stopped from travelling but those attempting to travel on fake or unverified documents will not be allowed under any circumstances, as such actions damage Pakistan’s reputation,” he wrote. “Agent mafias playing with people’s futures for money will face zero tolerance.”
The visit highlighted growing public frustration over the offloading practices, which have sparked outrage on social media. Travellers have described being denied boarding even with valid visas and tickets, prompting accusations of overreach by immigration officials. On Thursday, the Federal Investigation Agency, which oversees immigration enforcement, sought to address the backlash.
In a statement, the agency said passengers were only being offloaded if they lacked valid documents or were suspected of ties to migrant smugglers. That same day, the FIA announced legal action against individuals spreading what it called fabricated information about the incidents on social media. Earlier this month, the agency’s director general, Riffat Mukhtar, acknowledged reports of offloadings at Lahore and Karachi airports and said investigations were underway.
The episodes have unfolded against the backdrop of Pakistan’s broader efforts to curb illegal immigration and document fraud. In recent years, authorities have arrested numerous Pakistani and foreign nationals at airports with forged papers. Officials have also targeted individuals accused of abusing visas to beg in Saudi Arabia, warning that such activities harm the country’s image and could complicate travel for legitimate visitors, including religious pilgrims.
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