After visiting Islamabad airport on Saturday, Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that any passenger in possession of “authentic and complete documents” should never be prevented from traveling.
The development comes because in recent months numerous incidents of travelers being discharged of flights at various airports, despite possessing valid travel documents. The actions occurred after a take strong action on migrant smuggling after last year Boat tragedy in Greece which claimed several Pakistani lives.
In a post on X, Naqvi said he visited Islamabad airport and met “passengers traveling abroad to hear their concerns directly.”
“He ordered a strict crackdown on visa agents exploiting innocent people. He took serious note of a passenger’s complaint on November 7 about understaffing at immigration and led an immediate investigation with a review of CCTV footage,” he said.
“No passenger with genuine and complete documents should be prevented from travelling, but those attempting to travel with fake or unverified documents will not be allowed under any circumstances as such actions damage the reputation of Pakistan,” he said.
“Agent mafias that play with people’s future in exchange for money will face zero tolerance,” he said.
On Thursday, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) clarified that only people who did not have valid documents or if authorities suspected them of working with migrant smugglers were disembarked or denied boarding.
On the same day, the agency also initiated legal action against those involved in spreading false information on social media regarding the offloading of passengers.
Earlier this month, FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar had admitted that incidents of people disembarking had been reported at Lahore and Karachi airports and that investigations were being carried out.
