Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of reports surfacing of passengers travelling abroad being offloaded, and a committee has been formed to investigate the matter.
The committee is led by Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik and includes Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja, and the Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Muhammad Awn Chaudhry.
Heads of the Pakistan Digital Authority and the National Information Technology Board are also part of the panel. The Secretary of Overseas Pakistanis, the Secretary IT, and the Additional Secretary Interior will also serve as members.
Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NADRA, and the Federal Investigation Agency(FIA) will be included in the committee. The committee will propose a new mechanism regarding individuals travelling abroad. It will also recommend harmonising the system related to protector stamps at the international level.
The committee is expected to submit its report to the prime minister within three weeks.
Read: Travellers with complete papers stopped from flying abroad
Reports of offloading
Over the past few months, multiple reports have surfaced accusing the FIA of offloading passengers at various airports across the country, despite possessing valid travel documents. Visa holders for Greece, Italy, Poland, and Baku are being prevented from travelling to these countries.
Hundreds of Pakistanis, despite having complete visas and travel documents, are being forced to repeatedly visit the Protector of Emigrants’ offices, yet their documents are not being “protected” for travel.
Visitors are told that “orders from above” prohibit the protection of travel documents for travellers going abroad for jobs as agricultural experts, drivers, or cleaners. Previously, people travelling for Umrah or jobs in Dubai were blocked on suspicion.
Read more: FIA probes offloading of workers at airports
The FIA has dismissed such claims as mere rumours. FIA Lahore Zone Director Captain (retd) Ali Zia, in late November, issued a detailed clarification in a video message. According to him, certain elements are using AI-generated videos and images to give the impression that passengers are being offloaded without reason.
However, testimonies suggest these claims may be more than “mere rumours.”
Now, even those who have paid visa fees in dollars, pounds, or euros are being prevented from travelling to Europe. There are no written orders, only verbal instructions, and all Protector offices nationwide are following them.
