Minister warns fake documents will not be tolerated, orders investigation into passenger’s complaint about understaffing
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday ordered a strict crackdown on visa agents who exploit travelers during an unannounced visit to Islamabad International Airport, saying those with genuine documents should not be barred from traveling abroad.
“No passenger with genuine and complete documents should ever be prevented from traveling,” Naqvi said in a post on
I visited Islamabad Airport today and met passengers traveling abroad to hear their concerns directly.
Ordered a strict crackdown on visa agents who exploit innocent people. Took serious note of a passenger’s complaint of November 7 regarding the lack of staff at immigration and… pic.twitter.com/dP29uZw2bB
–Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) November 29, 2025
“Agent mafias who play with people’s futures for money will be subject to zero tolerance,” warned the minister.
He also took note of a November 7 passenger complaint about understaffing at immigration counters, ordering an investigation into review of CCTV footage.
The development comes as the Federal Investigation Agency has stepped up its operations against illegal immigration after a series of interceptions at major airports involving false documents and suspicions of internal collusion.
Immigration officials at Islamabad’s new international airport on Sunday landed Muhammad Usman, who was trying to travel to Europe on an Umrah visa. Authorities said he was deported from Italy earlier this year and a search of his cellphone revealed a falsified residency card. Earlier, an Afghan national was intercepted while traveling with a fake Greek resident card.
Read: FIA steps up crackdown on illegal immigration after series of airport interceptions
Earlier this month, Naqvi and Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain made an unannounced visit to the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore. Immigration officials stationed there had intercepted passengers who were allegedly trying to travel abroad illegally with the help of an intern.
During the visit, officials informed ministers of a case in which a passenger was unable to travel abroad as a driver because he did not have a valid driving license despite having a “Protector” authorization. Minister Hussain has ordered an investigation into the Protector verification system.
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Naqvi warned that illegal travel would not be tolerated and ordered strict legal action against any FIA officials involved in aiding illegal travel.
FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar Raja on Friday dismissed three officials, including an inspector and a sub-inspector. The DG also imposed strict sanctions on four other officers for faulty investigations and professional misconduct.
