Afghan woman trying to fly on forged documents held at Karachi airport

FIA says she entered Pakistan via Chaman border with a forged visa, claiming medical treatment as a pretext

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Pakistani authorities have arrested an Afghan woman attempting to travel to the United States on fraudulent documents, officials said on Saturday.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) detained the woman, identified as Sana Khawaja, at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

According to the FIA spokesperson, she entered Pakistan on November 13 through the Chaman border using a forged visa, allegedly under the pretext of medical treatment.

During initial questioning, Khawaja failed to provide any evidence of medical treatment in Pakistan. Investigators revealed that her cousin had advised her to apply for a medical visa as a pretext to enter Pakistan and later apply for a US visa.

Khawaja successfully secured a US visa from the embassy in Pakistan but used falsified documents to obtain her Pakistani visa, the FIA confirmed.

She has been handed over to the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Karachi for further investigation and legal proceedings.

Earlier, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Anti-Human Trafficking Circle (ATC) in Lahore has arrested two human traffickers involved in the Greek boat tragedy.

The two individuals, listed as highly wanted criminals, were apprehended during operations targeting traffickers linked to the tragic incident.

According to the FIA, following the arrest of two immigration officers stationed at Faisalabad Airport, the scope of investigations was expanded. Raids are ongoing in Gujranwala and Faisalabad to apprehend other traffickers named in cases related to human trafficking.

The FIA’s crackdown comes in the wake of directives from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has emphasized adopting a stringent strategy against human trafficking and those involved. The agency has launched operations against traffickers involved in several cases, including the Greek boat tragedy.