KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has instructed its deputy directors of immigration nationwide to exercise heightened vigilance during passenger clearances to curb the growing issue of human trafficking in the country.
The directive emphasizes strict monitoring of first-time foreign travelers aged 15 to 40 at immigration checkpoints in nine cities. Particular attention has been directed toward passengers traveling via specific airlines, including Ethiopian Airlines, with mandatory enhanced screening procedures, as stated in the FIA advisory.
The guidelines call for the implementation of improved profiling systems for passengers traveling to Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Iran, Mauritania, Iraq, Turkiye, Qatar, Kuwait, and Kyrgyzstan.
According to an FIA statement, Pakistanis have used 15 countries as transit points for human smuggling to Europe. This advisory is based on an analysis of the IBMS database from July to December, reviewing passenger movement under visit, tourism, religious, or educational visas to these countries.
Immigration officials have been instructed to closely monitor and profile passengers from areas such as Mandi Bahauddin, Gujarat, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Bhimber, Jhelum, Toba Tek Singh, Hafizabad, and Sheikhupura. All travel documents, including return tickets and hotel bookings, must be meticulously scrutinized.
Special attention should be paid to visit and tourist visas, with rigorous interviews conducted to verify the financial arrangements and travel purposes of suspicious passengers.
The FIA has further ordered immigration officers to maintain detailed records of such cases and immediately report any suspicious activities.
Sources revealed that the lack of a comprehensive advisory policy at airports over the past two decades has caused officials to hesitate in offloading passengers.
