Naqvi visits Islamabad airport, orders crackdown against ‘visa agents exploiting innocent people’

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ordered a strict crackdown on visa agents exploiting travelers during an unannounced visit to Islamabad International Airport on Saturday, saying that those with genuine documents should not be barred from traveling abroad.

"No passenger with genuine and complete documents should ever be stopped from travelling," Naqvi said in a post on X, adding that those attempting to travel on fake or unverified documents would not be allowed under any circumstances as "such actions damage Pakistan's reputation".

"Agent mafias playing with people's futures for money will face zero tolerance," the minister warned.

He also took notice of a passenger complaint from November 7 regarding inadequate staffing at immigration counters, ordering an inquiry review of CCTV footage.

The development comes as the Federal Investigation Agency has intensified operations against illegal migration after a series of interceptions at major airports involving forged documents and suspected internal collusion.

Immigration officers at New Islamabad International Airport offloaded Muhammad Usman on Sunday, who attempted to travel to Europe on an Umrah visa. Officials said he had been deported from Italy earlier this year, and a search of his mobile phone yielded a tampered resident card. Earlier, an Afghan national was intercepted travelling on a counterfeit Greek resident card.

Read: FIA ramps up crackdown on illegal migration after string of airport interceptions

Earlier this month, Naqvi and Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain conducted an unannounced visit to Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport. Immigration officers stationed there had intercepted passengers allegedly attempting to travel abroad illegally with assistance from an insider.

During that visit, officials briefed the ministers on a case in which a passenger was prevented from travelling abroad as a driver because he lacked a valid driving licence despite having "Protector" clearance. Minister Hussain ordered an inquiry into the Protector verification system.

Read More: Arbitrary offloading

Naqvi warned that illegal travel would not be tolerated and ordered strict legal action against any FIA official found involved in aiding illegal travel.

On Friday, FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar Raja dismissed three officials from service, including an inspector and a sub-inspector. The DG also imposed major penalties on four other officers for defective investigations and misconduct.