Pakistan's Immigration Wing Under Fire Over Gross Negligence, Arbitrary Offloading Of Passengers

(MENAFN- IANS) Islamabad, May 24 (IANS) Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) immigration wing at New Islamabad International Airport is facing allegations of inexperience, negligence, and administrative indifference after two passengers were reportedly offloaded from international flights despite holding valid travel documents and visas, a report has highlighted.

The affected passengers have alleged in their complaints that both junior-level immigration staff and senior administrative officers failed to address the issue properly. The incidents concern two Pakistani citizens travelling separately to South Africa and Turkey, who claim they were prevented from boarding despite having all required legal documents, a report in the Pakistani daily Express Tribune detailed.

The passengers accused FIA immigration officials of humiliating treatment and failing to offer satisfactory explanations for the decisions to offload them.

A video recorded by one of the passengers, identified as Shehzad Gondal, at the airport, went viral on social media. The footage showed him claiming that he held a valid South African visa for travel from Islamabad to Cape Town, along with confirmed hotel bookings, a return air ticket costing around Pakistani Rs 550,000, and nearly $1,500 for travel expenses.

He claimed that FIA immigration officials offloaded him without offering a clear justification, insisting that South Africa had restricted travel for Pakistani nationals on newly issued visas.

Raising questions over the move, the passenger stated that once South Africa had issued a visa after charging the required fee in dollars, matters related to deportation should fall under South African authorities rather than Pakistani immigration officials.

In a separate incident, a businessman identified as Abrar, who reportedly engaged in the metals trade, alleged that he too was denied boarding at Lahore airport. He claimed that immigration staff objected after spotting a social media video from a travel agent on his mobile phone screen.

According to Abrar, he repeatedly offered the immigration officials access to his phone to verify any possible contact or communication with agents involved in illegal immigration, but alleged that his explanation was not considered.

Abrar stated that after travelling to Islamabad and getting his travel documents verified from an FIA office, he made another attempt to travel abroad from Islamabad airport; however, he was again restricted from doing so.

Abrar accused the FIA immigration official of tearing up his boarding card, despite his repeated requests for its return to enable him to seek a refund for his airline ticket.

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