Insufficient STAFF: IIA’s fast-track counters stuck

The counters have been rendered useless because the immigration services lack sufficient personnel to man them

ISLAMABAD: The new airport in the federal capital sought to solve some problems faced by travellers by creating fast-track counters. But the counters have been rendered useless because the immigration services lack sufficient personnel to man these counters. As a result, passengers have to line up in long queues defeating the purpose of the counters. The Islamabad International Airport (IIA) was opened earlier this year but passengers passing through it continue to face a host of issues, particularly at the fast-track immigration counters. The situation is exacerbated at night when a number of international flights either arrive or depart the country. Officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) — who are responsible for immigration operations at airports — say that they are working to the facilities that are being provided by their parent organization. In this regard, some FIA officials told perturbed passengers that they have few officers available at night. As a result, they have been unable to keep the counters operational at night.  

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2018.