FIA briefed PM on arrests, tech upgrades and reforms to prevent illegal travel without hurting legal passengers
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting on Saturday at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad to review measures against human trafficking, undocumented foreign travel, and weaknesses in the country’s immigration processes.
The prime minister was briefed on recent enforcement actions by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), including the arrest of 451 individuals involved in human trafficking and illegal migration.
He also noted the airport inspections carried out by Mohsin Naqvi following complaints about passenger offloading, describing the intervention as timely and necessary.
The prime minister directed authorities to ensure that passengers holding valid travel documents are not inconvenienced by enforcement actions against illegal travellers.
He emphasised the need to improve the performance of the Protectorate of Immigrants and strengthen coordination between the FIA and other relevant institutions to prevent delays for legitimate travellers.
Stressing the role of technology, the prime minister called for greater use of digital tools to enhance the efficiency and transparency of immigration procedures. He further directed authorities to take strict action against corrupt elements within enforcement agencies, noting that 196 FIA officers and staff had already been dismissed after being found guilty of corruption.
According to an FIA briefing, enforcement measures have resulted in a 47% decline in the number of Pakistanis attempting to travel illegally to Europe.
The briefing also reported a reduction in attempts to travel to the UK and Gulf countries using forged or fraudulent documents. Key challenges identified included the misuse of work, tourist, and visit visas, as well as rising cases of passenger offloading and deportation.
Most deportations took place from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Malaysia, and Oman.
Read: 66,154 air travellers offloaded this year, FIA tells NA body
The FIA has established a Risk Assessment Unit to enable targeted passenger screening and is systematically integrating data on deported and illegal travellers into its databases.
The agency is also focusing on improving security measures at airports. Officials said work was underway to activate e-gates, while access to Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record (API-PNR) databases would allow authorities to flag suspicious travel documents in advance.
The meeting also reviewed long-term reforms aimed at strengthening border management. These include the development of a mobile application to track passenger data, as well as restructuring of the FIA’s Integrated Border Management System (IBM-S) and IT departments. Artificial intelligence tools will also be deployed to identify patterns and behaviours linked to illegal travel.
The meeting was attended by senior federal ministers, including Azam Nazir Tarar, Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, and Talal Chaudhry, along with other officials.
Officials said the measures were aimed at curbing illegal migration and human trafficking while ensuring smoother travel for citizens holding valid documents.
