PIA Airbus at Dubai Airport. Photo: PIA website
Immigration officers from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) have intercepted an Afghan national who was trying to travel to Europe using a fake Greek resident card.
The suspect, identified as Jannat Gul Niazi, was due to board Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-749 to France when his travel documents were examined. The authorities discovered that the resident card presented was a fake.
FIA immigration personnel offloaded Niazi from the flight and took him into custody. He was handed over to the agency’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Islamabad, where further investigations are underway.
Read: Airport staff intercept passengers linked to alleged collusion with FIA officials
Earlier, alleged collusion by an FIA official at the Allama Iqbal International Airport came to light after immigration officials intercepted passengers who were allegedly trying to travel abroad illegally, officials said. The discovery prompted an investigation into how authorities might have facilitated the unauthorized departures.
The problem attracted attention during routine immigration checks, when officers arrested a passenger suspected of having received help from an FIA official to circumvent travel rules.
During a two-hour unannounced visit on Sunday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain observed the immigration process at the airport. They spoke with passengers bound for international travel, asking about the process and ways to improve it.
Learn more: FIA investigates offloading of workers at airports
Naqvi warned that illegal travel will not be tolerated under any circumstances. He expressed concern about long queues at immigration counters and asked authorities to speed up processing to avoid delays and inconvenience for travelers.
