ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) offloaded 39,786 passengers in 2025 under a “lawful, intelligence-driven and risk-based system” to curb irregular migration and human smuggling, a top official said on Sunday.
Speaking to a select group of senior journalists, Immigration Additional Director General Nouman Siddiqui said passenger offloading, often criticised publicly, was primarily a preventive step aimed at saving lives, protecting citizens from exploitation abroad and safeguarding Pakistan’s international image.
“Offloading decisions are not arbitrary,” he asserted. They are based on immigration concerns, suspicious travel patterns, document verification, destination-country requirements and established standard operating procedures.
The primary objective, he said, was “the protection of human life and prevention of exploitation at the hands of human traffickers”.
At least 132 passengers were offloaded from their scheduled flights at various airports across the country in the past year by FIA immigration officers, while 85 of its officials were penalised for misuse of authority during this period, according to a report submitted to the Senate.
A National Assembly standing committee was told in December that at least 51,000 passengers were offloaded at airports in 2025 after failing immigration checks, with a large number of them being offloaded at Lahore and Karachi airports.
Rising risks and deadly consequences
Siddiqui said the crackdown followed multiple tragedies linked to illegal migration routes. Over the past three years, around 460 Pakistanis have fallen victim to such incidents, with at least 377 reported deaths.
According to International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) data, 109 Pakistani nationals lost their lives in 2025 alone while attempting irregular migration.
He said the issue gained urgency after the June 2023 Greece boat tragedy, in which a large number of Pakistani migrants perished in the Mediterranean Sea. A high-level inquiry committee formed by the prime minister subsequently recommended stricter enforcement measures, many of which are now being implemented.
To dismantle criminal networks, the FIA registered 2,421 cases since December 2024, resulting in the arrest of 3,130 agents. Authorities seized property worth Rs961.71 million, recovered Rs87.7m and froze bank accounts amounting to Rs239.63m. “These figures reflect the scale and seriousness of human smuggling and trafficking in Pakistan,” he said.
In many cases, passengers were found travelling through suspicious routes, fake overseas employment schemes, forged documents, fraudulent sponsorships or high-risk transit patterns linked to organised smuggling and trafficking networks, he added.
The FIA’s Risk Analysis Unit developed five risk profiles to help immigration officers segregate suspected travellers from genuine passengers. The profiles are reviewed and updated periodically. The measures led to a 75 per cent reduction in deportations related to beggary and a 31pc decrease in deportations due to forgery.
Overall deportations from various countries fell 16pc in 2025 compared to 2024. The agency also cited a 64pc reduction in illegal border crossings into Europe by Pakistani nationals in the first two months of 2025-26, according to Frontex data.
Two categories of offloaded passengers
Siddiqui said offloaded passengers fell into two categories: those offloaded by FIA on immigration or risk grounds, and those not offloaded by FIA, including cases involving airline issues, technical faults, flight cancellations, bad weather, self-offloading, seasonal border closures or requests from other departments.
Besides the 39,786 passengers offloaded by FIA in 2025, another 34,688 were offloaded for non-FIA reasons. These included airline-related disruptions and arrests required by Customs, Anti Narcotics Force, Airport Security Force and the police.
Facilitation and reforms
To reduce inconvenience for genuine travellers, FIA Immigration has established pre-departure facilitation desks at zonal offices to help passengers verify travel documents before ticket purchase.
Passengers who believe they were offloaded due to a misunderstanding or incomplete information can approach the concerned border checkpost in-charge for immediate review, and are allowed to travel if found eligible. A 24/7 helpline has also been set up for complaints and facilitation.
Siddiqui noted that immigration staff face challenges in making real-time decisions, often under public pressure and media scrutiny. “Many passengers initially present legitimate purposes, but deeper checks reveal links with traffickers or illegal migration routes,” he said, warning that failure to act could expose individuals to detention, exploitation or even death.
Reforms underway
The FIA has proposed new legislation to strengthen immigration controls and introduce clearer remedial mechanisms for affected travellers.
A Joint Working Group comprising the FIA, Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis has also been formed.
Siddiqui said the forum will facilitate genuine overseas workers holding valid work visas registered with the Protectorate of Emigrants, while strengthening anti-smuggling measures and coordinated immigration controls.
He affirmed that the FIA remained committed to balancing facilitation of genuine travellers with effective prevention of irregular migration, human smuggling, trafficking, forged travel and loss of Pakistani lives abroad.
The head of FIA’s immigration wing stressed that immigration controls were not merely punitive but protective in nature.
“Our goal is to strike a balance — to facilitate genuine travellers while preventing human smuggling, trafficking and the tragic loss of Pakistani lives,” he said.
