Resolution calls for reforms as travelers with valid documents are denied boarding
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan’s National Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution calling on the government to investigate the disembarkation of passengers with valid travel documents at the country’s airports.
The resolution was proposed by Pakistan People’s Party MP Agha Rafiullah, who highlighted a growing number of incidents in which travelers were denied boarding despite having valid tickets and identification documents.
It urges the government to thoroughly investigate such cases and introduce administrative reforms to ensure transparency, accountability and protection of passengers’ rights. The resolution also highlights the need for better communication so that decisions to refuse travel are lawful, properly documented and clearly communicated to passengers.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq put the resolution to a vote and it was adopted without opposition.
The resolution further calls for giving legal effect to decisions that restrict passenger movements, emphasizing the need for clear rules and standard procedures at airports.
Read: Prime Minister calls for tougher immigration controls and protection for legal travelers
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has already taken note of reports of passengers being disembarked while traveling abroad and ordered the formation of a committee to probe the matter.
Officials said the committee would include representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). He was tasked with proposing a new mechanism for foreign travel and recommending ways to harmonize the protective stamp system internationally.
In recent months, several reports have accused the FIA of disembarking passengers at various airports despite having valid travel documents. According to these reports, holders of visas for Greece, Italy, Poland and Baku were not allowed to travel.
Hundreds of Pakistanis with visas and complete documents have also complained of being forced to repeatedly visit the offices of the Protector of Emigrants, despite their papers not being “protected” for travel.
Read more: Government panel to investigate unloading of travelers
Some travelers say they were told “orders from above” barred document protection for those going abroad for jobs such as farm laborers, drivers or cleaners. In previous cases, passengers traveling for Umrah or work in Dubai were also stranded on suspicion.
The FIA has dismissed the allegations as rumours. In late November, Captain (retd) Ali Zia, FIA Zone Director, Lahore, issued a detailed clarification in a video message, saying that some elements used AI-generated videos and images to create the impression that passengers were being disembarked for no reason.
However, passenger accounts suggest the problem may be more widespread. Some travelers say even those who paid visa fees in dollars, pounds or euros are now being barred from traveling to Europe, with no written orders and only verbal instructions cited by officials at the country’s protection offices.
