Philippine national deported from Pakistan, airline told to pay fine

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday deported a Filipina back to Dubai for travelling with an invalid visa.

Melanie Delos Santos arrived at the Allama Iqbal International Airport on flight number EK-624 in Lahore with double entries on her visa. She wanted to enter the country for the third time on the visa. However, the FIA refused to let her enter the country and she was sent back to Dubai on flight number EK-625.



The agency also issued a letter to Emirates, asking it to pay a fine of 500,000 rupees for bringing a passenger with an invalid visa.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar has adopted a very strict policy regarding violation of immigration rules by passengers and airlines. Nisar has also directed that any airline which brings an inadmissible person to Pakistan should be imposed a fine.



So far, various airlines have been imposed fines to the tune of Rs40 million who brought passengers to Pakistan without a valid visa. The deportees in many cases were sent back though the same airlines as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2016.