The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has issued its first travel advisory in 20 years as part of efforts to curb human trafficking.
The FIA headquarters has sent a letter to deputy directors of immigration across the country directing strict monitoring of passengers from 15 countries, 9 cities of Pakistan and two airlines.
For the first time, the advisory focuses on tightening the surveillance of passengers aged 15 to 40 traveling abroad. Strict checks have been ordered on young passengers traveling with FlyDubai and Ethiopian Airlines.
Passengers from Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt must undergo thorough screening.
The letter also includes profiling of passengers from Libya, Iran, Mauritania, Iraq, Turkiye, Qatar, Kuwait and Kyrgyzstan. These 15 countries were used by Pakistanis as transit points for human trafficking to Europe.
The movement of passengers on tourist, religious or educational visas to these countries is being reviewed. The advice is prepared on the basis of the analysis of the IBMS database from July to December.
According to the guidance, passengers from Mandi Bahauddin, Gujarat, Sialkot, Gujranwala and Bimber must be closely monitored. Profiling measures for passengers from Jhelum, Toba Tek Singh, Hafizabad and Sheikhupura should also be improved.
A thorough examination of return tickets, hotel reservations and all documents has been ordered. Particular attention should be paid to documents for visits or tourist visas. Suspicious passengers should be interviewed regarding their purpose of travel and financial arrangements.
FIA officials have stressed that detailed records of suspicious passengers must be kept and any irregularities reported immediately.
Earlier, the FIA on Friday claimed to have foiled a major human smuggling attempt at Islamabad Airport under the guise of Umrah visas, relieving and detaining five persons, including a 16-year-old boy.
The suspects attempted to travel to Saudi Arabia and Libya before traveling by sea to Italy. The agency has already instituted strict screening procedures at airports and borders to combat human trafficking.
During one such check at Islamabad Airport, the immigration authorities found that five suspicious passengers including Miraj Khan, Usman Khan, Asad Ali and Murtaza Ali were traveling on Umrah visa to Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a coordinated and holistic approach to apprehend and punish those involved in human trafficking as he assigned various tasks to the ministries of law, interior, information and foreign affairs in this regard.
Chairing a review meeting on measures taken against human trafficking in the country, the Prime Minister appreciated the recent action by the FIA against officials involved in this heinous crime.
