Missing woman triggers airport probe

Sleuths seek CCTV footage from ASF, details from FIA to establish her whereabouts

RAWALPINDI:

Police on Friday began a search for a 61-year-old Pakistani-origin female US citizen who reportedly went missing after being offloaded by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) immigration officials at Islamabad International Airport while attempting to travel to the United States.

Police have also decided to write to the Airport Security Force (ASF) and FIA Immigration seeking CCTV footage and details of the circumstances under which the woman was offloaded.

The matter came to light after a petition was filed before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) regarding the mysterious disappearance of Farhana Rafiq. The petition stated that she lived in Islamabad, while her husband and other family members resided abroad.

According to the petition, Farhana was scheduled to travel from Islamabad to Washington via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight TK-711 on November 5, 2026. She reached the airport at around 3am that day but was stopped from travelling at the immigration counter.

The petition alleged that she was not given any reason for being prevented from travelling, nor was she shown any official order or legal document. She was also not informed whether her name appeared on any travel restriction list or whether any case was pending against her.

It further claimed that, after her flight departed, officials neither allowed her to leave the airport nor return home. She was allegedly not shown an arrest warrant, informed of the grounds for her detention or produced before a magistrate.

Her mobile phone remained switched off since around 11am on November 5, and her family has been unable to contact her, according to the petition.

During the court proceedings, FIA officials informed the court that immigration authorities had offloaded the woman because of travel restrictions. They maintained that she was sent back after being offloaded but said they had no information about her whereabouts thereafter.

The court subsequently directed the police to conduct an inquiry and submit a report, following which Rawalpindi police initiated efforts to trace the woman.

A senior police officer told The Express Tribune that no direct complaint had initially been lodged with the police, but the matter had now come before the court. He said police had launched an inquiry in compliance with the court's directions.

The officer said investigators were examining whether the woman had left the airport after being offloaded and, if so, whether she had departed alone, accompanied someone or had been taken away by another person.

He added that separate letters would be sent to FIA Immigration and the ASF.