Special attention will be paid to travellers holding visit visas to Gulf countries
Dubai: Traveling out of Pakistan has become increasingly challenging for young passengers due to heightened scrutiny at airports.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has instructed its immigration officials at the airports nationwide to be extra vigilant when clearing passengers especially the young ones, with the primary aim of combating human trafficking, which remains a rampant issue in the country.
First-time travellers
The focus has been placed on young, first-time foreign travellers, particularly those between the ages of 15 and 40.
Immigration officials have been directed to carefully monitor these passengers during the immigration process in nine major cities across the country.
In its directive, the FIA urged the need for a more refined system of profiling passengers traveling to countries such as Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Iran, Mauritania, Iraq, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, and Kyrgyzstan.
Human smuggling
The agency has flagged these destinations due to their use as transit points for human smuggling, with many Pakistani travelers attempting to reach Europe via these countries.
The latest measures come after a review of travel data from July to December, during which the movement of passengers holding tourist, visit, religious, or educational visas to these 15 countries was closely examined.
The FIA found that these countries were frequently used as stopovers in illegal human trafficking networks, Geo TV reported.
In line with the directive, immigration officials have been instructed to pay particular attention to passengers hailing from cities such as Mandi Bahauddin, Gujarat, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Bhimber, Jhelum, Toba Tek Singh, Hafizabad, and Sheikhupura. Young travellers from these areas are expected to undergo rigorous screening, with all travel documents—such as return tickets and hotel bookings—being meticulously checked for authenticity.
Special attention will be paid to travellers holding visit or tourist visas to UAE and other GCC countries, with enhanced interviews designed to probe their financial arrangements and travel purposes.
The goal is to identify any suspicious signs of human trafficking before passengers are allowed to board.
“For young passengers, these strict checks and screenings may seem intrusive, but they are vital in curbing illegal activities and ensuring the safety of those traveling abroad. These measures highlight the growing need for vigilance and the importance of taking steps to prevent exploitation,” said a senior official at the FIA.
