ISLAMABAD: The Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) presented alarming disclosures during a briefing to a National Assembly standing committee, showing the growing crisis of illegal migration, misuse of travel facilities, deportations of Pakistani nationals and serious lapses in immigration oversight.
The DG informed the committee that 51,000 individuals were offloaded from international flights during the current year due to incomplete, suspicious, or misleading travel documentation.
He revealed that Saudi Arabia deported 24,000 Pakistani nationals this year for engaging in begging, while Dubai sent back 6,000 Pakistanis and Azerbaijan deported 2,500 Pakistani beggars on similar grounds.
Cumulatively, a total of 56,000 Pakistanis have been deported from Saudi Arabia so far on charges related to begging, severely damaging the country’s international image.
The committee was further told that a large number of travelers attempted to use Umrah visas as a cover to reach Europe. During screening, authorities discovered that several of these individuals were carrying European travel documents, leading to their immediate offloading with documented evidence.
Highlighting disturbing migration trends, the DG FIA disclosed that 24,000 Pakistanis traveled to Cambodia this year, out of which 12,000 individuals have not yet returned.
Similarly, 4,000 Pakistanis traveled to Myanmar on tourist visas, but 2,500 of them failed to return, raising serious concerns about human trafficking and illegal onward migration networks.
The briefing revealed that Pakistan has remained among the top five countries globally for illegal migration in previous years. Last year, 8,000 Pakistanis illegally entered Europe, while the figure has reduced to 4,000 this year, indicating some improvement but continued vulnerability.
Due to repeated violations and misuse of travel privileges, Dubai and Germany have withdrawn visa-free entry for holders of Pakistani official passports, a move described as a diplomatic and administrative setback.
To counter these challenges, the DG FIA announced that the “E-Migration Application” will be launched by mid-January. The digital system will enable travelers to complete immigration clearance up to 24 hours prior to departure, aiming to improve scrutiny and reduce airport congestion.
The committee was also informed that FIA immigration counters at Islamabad International Airport are severely understaffed, affecting effective monitoring and enforcement.
In a shocking example of system abuse, a fake football club managed to send a so-called football team to Japan, which astonishingly included a physically disabled individual.
Subsequent investigations revealed that a similar fraudulent team had also been sent to Japan in 2022, exposing persistent loopholes and organized exploitation of sports visas.
The DG FIA stressed that these revelations underline the urgent need for enhanced staffing, stricter vetting mechanisms, stronger inter-agency coordination, and comprehensive reforms to curb illegal migration, dismantle trafficking networks, and safeguard Pakistan’s credibility at the international level.
