PIA Airbus at Dubai airport. Photo: PIA website
Immigration officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) have intercepted an Afghan national trying to travel to Europe using a forged Greek residence card.
The suspect, identified as Jannat Gul Niazi, was scheduled to board Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-749 to France when his travel documents were examined. Officials discovered that the resident card presented was fake.
FIA immigration staff unloaded Niazi from the plane and took him into custody. He has been handed over to the agency’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Islamabad, where further investigations are underway.
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Earlier, suspected collusion by an FIA official at Allama Iqbal International Airport came to light after immigration officers intercepted passengers allegedly trying to travel abroad illegally, officials said. The discovery has prompted an investigation into how officials may have facilitated unauthorized departures.
The issue came to attention during routine immigration checks when officers stopped a passenger suspected of receiving help from an FIA official to circumvent travel rules.
During an unannounced two-hour visit on Sunday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain observed the immigration process at the airport. They spoke to passengers on their way to international journeys and inquired about the process and ways to improve it.
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Naqvi warned that illegal travel will not be tolerated under any circumstances. He expressed concern over long queues at immigration counters and directed officials to speed up processing to prevent delays and inconvenience to travelers.
