LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Lahore region is exploiting the people whose passports are taken into possession during raids on different visa consultancy firms.

On the pretext of laying hands on ‘notorious’ human smugglers, the FIA has been raiding a good number of consultancy firms for a week in Lahore and other parts of the province.

Last week, the FIA Lahore recovered 300 passports during raids on various ‘fake’ consultancy firms in Lahore and elsewhere and arrested 40 people. It seized passports of those people who happened to be visiting the visa consultancy firms only to ‘seek information’.

The FIA, instead of getting hold of the most wanted human smugglers, was allegedly exploiting the people whose passports were in its possession. The FIA officials are not only harassing such people in the name of recording their statements but also keeping with their passports.

A good number of people whose passports the FIA had taken during the raids are paying daily visits to the FIA offices on Temple Road, hoping to get their travel document back as they had nothing to do with human smuggling.

“This is my third visit to the FIA office. I have recorded my statement but the official concerned is still reluctant to return my passport,” one of the affected persons told Dawn.

He said he was present at a consultancy firm on Queen’s Road when the FIA raided it.

“The FIA team also took me along to its office despite my plea that I was just a visitor. It recorded my statement the same day but I wonder why its calling me again and again for the same purpose.”

Another person said the FIA officials had asked him to move the court to get his passport back when he inquired about the legal way to get his travel document back. He said the officials ‘forced’ him to testify against the consultants in court if he wanted his passport back.

There are reports that the FIA hands over the travel document to only those who are willing to ‘oblige’ them.

A source in the FIA said: “The FIA is minting money on the pretext of action against human smugglers. In fact the FIA officials are using Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali’s order to make some fast bucks,” he said.

FIA spokesperson Deputy Director Khwaja Hammad did not respond to a Dawn’s query in this regard.

Inspector Tariq Masood said the FIA did not hand over the passports to holders on its own.

“They should better move the court to acquire passports,” he said.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar has recently directed the FIA to adopt a strategy for the protection of victims, prosecution of criminals, pursuing proclaimed offenders and absconders and forging partnerships at the local and international agencies.

He also ordered the FIA to freeze bank accounts, cancel passports and block the computerised national identity cards of 300 identified human smugglers.

“Chaudhry Nisar should also know what the FIA is doing in the name of action against human smugglers,” an affected person said.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2015