LAHORE: Not all the deported persons will enjoy the status of ‘victim’ under a new classification of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The people deported for forged documents (DFD) will face seven-year imprisonment, fine or both.

Earlier, the FIA had been asked to treat all deported persons as victims and not to charge them with any offence.

The agency has now placed deported persons into different categories. “The general deportees who reach home under the Voluntary Return Programme (VRP) still enjoy the victim status,” FIA Lahore Director Dr Usman Anwar told Dawn on Tuesday.

FIA moves to check human smuggling

He said the people returning home under the European Union Re-admission Agreement would also be considered as victims (even if they entered the foreign land illegally).

“However, we have classified the DFDs into two categories. Those deported on forged documents will be arrested. A case will be registered against them, their agents and immigration officials involved in helping them board the flight,” Dr Usman said.

Those leaving Pakistan on genuine visa for their first destination but from there travelling to another country on forged documents would be booked under the law when deported.

The FIA director said the immigration officials had been directed to try to stop the potential illegal immigrants who had valid visa for Dubai or Malaysia but from there could travel to a European destination or Australia on forged documents with the help of human smugglers.

“The FIA has managed to stop a good number of potential illegal immigrants at the Lahore airport,” he said.

Dr Usman said that 70,000 Pakistanis were deported annually — 30,000 from Saudi Arabia and the rest from Europe and other developed countries.

While the DFDs pay dearly, the human smugglers arranging their documents often go scot-free. The DFDs reportedly do not turn up for testimony against human smugglers if the latter are caught on the information they divulge to the FIA on their deportation.

This also leads to a poor conviction rate.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2014