Immigration official dismissed for assaulting passengers

E-Paper | July 28, 2026

RAWALPINDI: A family of Norwegian nationals who were manhandled by immigration officials at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) two weeks ago and offloaded from a flight to Doha at the Peshawar Airport on Friday were finally allowed to travel back to Oslo on Tuesday, after an official who was found guilty of assaulting the passengers was dismissed from service.

A departmental inquiry launched by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) into the manhandling of passengers by immigration employees found FIA immigration lady constable Ghazala Shaheen guilty, after which she was dismissed from service, FIA Islamabad Director Mazharul Haq told Dawn.

He said inspector Nadeem Akhtar, the shift in-charge at the airport, was found guilty of negligence and giving the inquiry team misleading facts. His case was forwarded to FIA headquarters for further action. Another lady constable, Noshila, who was on counter duty on April 5, was also found guilty but her case has yet to be decided.

Victims were allowed to leave the country on Tuesday

“Initially, the issue between the passengers and immigration staff started over tissue paper,” he said.

On Friday, April 21, Khalid Omer, his wife Haseena and their daughters Fauzia and Fatima were offloaded from a flight to Doha at the Peshawar Airport because of what authorities called an immigration issue.

A senior official from the FIA claimed the family was prevented from leaving in order to assist the ongoing investigation into the scuffle at the airport.

Mr Haq confirmed that the family left for Oslo on Tuesday, April 25, from Peshawar Airport.

Ms Khalid and her daughters Fauzia and Fatima were travelling to Oslo/Copenhagen on Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-771 from Islamabad two weeks ago when Ms Khalid and her daughter were physically assaulted by Ms Shaheen.

Video footage of the assault drew public criticism, after which Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ordered an inquiry into the incident.

After the video was circulated, Airport Security Force Director General Maj Gen Sohail Ahmed Khan and the director general aviation also ordered separate inquiries into the incident, both of which have yet to be completed.

Since the FIA launched its inquiry, three immigration officials have been charged with negligence.

The agency completed its inquiry within the seven day deadline and submitted its findings to the concerned authorities.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2017

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Dingo

May 01, 2017 10:54am

This video received "global attention" all for the "wrong reasons".....just like everything else going on in Pakistan.

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Surender Pruthi

May 01, 2017 11:11am

Good step.But,why only against a junior one?The Inspector,too,must face the music as he had not been able to discharge his duty satisfactorily.His supervision and ability to grapple with sudden untoward incidents is below par.The travellers are the patrons of air lines business and must be dealt with honor and dignity.Zero-tolerance for indiscipline and disgraceful events.Shukria.

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Shawn A

May 01, 2017 11:21am

Amazing, that interior minister Nasir Ali Khan only wakes up after reports get on social media, and goes back to sleep again. PIA needs to be sold to a private firm that can fix it that it does not give Pakistan a bad name at all the times at the same time sucking up lot of nation's funds.

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MOHAMMAD IQBAL

May 01, 2017 11:27am

Immigration officials at all airports s in Pakistan behave like (some) king's dynasty and treat passengers like palace slaves.

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H.H Shah

May 01, 2017 11:30am

We all saw that video, it was really horrible, all staff were just spectators, standing and doing nothing. After viewing that I myself is horrified to travel from that airport. I really hope that the victim should get the justice.

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Fareed Hussain

May 01, 2017 12:27pm

Passengers from UK and Europe in particular are treated abominably by officials at Islamabad airport. Most officials look for excuses to extort money from passengers. This does not happen in a darkened of the airport but in full public glare. It needs to be stopped immediately. I'm a frequent traveller between UK and Islamabad.

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May 01, 2017 01:28pm

Well the behavior of the ladies was unacceptable as well. They were trespassing the immigration officials area with confidence and threatening them and then calling Pakistan "ganda". At that point, FIA officials were calm and nobody physically assaulted them. It is unclear who started this physical brawl but in the end wrong is wrong, FIA officials could have handled this situation with more maturity and avoided the physical assault on these women. But I believe these women should also be given some sort of a ban as a lesson.

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rambo

May 01, 2017 01:28pm

really happy . Government officials should know that they are being paid out of public money and they should be courteous especially towards overseas pakistanis. Pakistans earns half its revenue through these overseas pakistanis. Respect them.

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Tamza

May 01, 2017 01:37pm

They are no 'lady' constables. They are 'women' constables. No lady would behave the way they did.

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Uza Syed

May 01, 2017 01:45pm

Firing of just one constable is a coverup, all of them officials on duty who took part in, or allowed, this crime of ganging up on passengers must be dismissed. This gangsterism is a cancer that has started to metastasise to every organ of the state and the society, we need radical surgery to rid the fouling parts to save the whole.

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Punjabi Indian

May 01, 2017 01:49pm

Tourism to Pakistan was already at a low, this incident unfortunately will only make things worse.

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Najeeb

May 01, 2017 01:50pm

Termination is not justice, what about humiliation n assault by officer ??? That was a crime .....

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Taj

May 01, 2017 01:50pm

Just for argument sake say that passenger was wrong but this is not the way to handle the situation ... airport staff are trained officials and should know better how to handle the situation. In my opinion the shift manager should bear the responsibility for this debacle...

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Zala

May 01, 2017 02:07pm

The shift in charge and other lady constable should dismissed as well. This would serve as a deterrent to other FIA officials not to physically assault passengers or be a party to it.

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May 01, 2017 02:15pm

Surely the 3 enquiries should have been completed before taking action. I think some blame lies with the passengers. As a nation we just blame others. Sad

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MKA

May 01, 2017 02:38pm

@Najeeb I agree. All responsible should be convicted!

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Dr Khan

May 01, 2017 02:39pm

Officers must be charged and jailed, dismisaal is not enough.

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Optimist

May 01, 2017 02:49pm

Its a very painful accident and reflects the mind set of ordinary govt staff. She should get severer punishment for others to get the lesson and no such incident reoccur.

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muhammad shoaib

May 01, 2017 02:53pm

Very BAD. This mentality should change that a doctor will be wrong always and all patients and their relatives will be angels always. Thousand passengers cross airport daily. This society include criminals,anti-social,prostitutes and every type of patient and passenger so many times in spite of great emotional control,I get disturbed by some arrogant patients and their relatives as society has all types of people. I think FIA constable was dismissed for wrong reasons as the ladies were very arrogant and irritant

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javed Malik

May 01, 2017 02:54pm

Nothing will happen. This lady constable will also be reinstated after her appeal. Just an eye wash they all will keep on doing their jobs like prime minister is still in chair after Panama verdict.

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Sweet talk

May 01, 2017 02:56pm

That's totally unfair It's not FIA job to arrange tissues & that stupid family behaviour need treatment which was well offered - that family has started all episode & why they r not jailed

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tahir saleem

May 01, 2017 03:42pm

i second the decision taken by FIA management to terminate the official who man handled a female passenger at airport. The barbaric attitude of women constable caught on video camera shows the real mindset and training of our civilian Law enforcement agencies. Shift In-Charge and other seniors who were available at the scene should be censured and disciplinary action must be taken against them . They did not intervening and let the consultable continue thrashing spree.

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Not Ahmad Khan

May 01, 2017 03:47pm

If this is the case in which that the 2 ladies are not Pakistani passport holder - then in that case it might be safe to assume that what ever little justice is being served here are based on 2 main reasons . 1. A vedio that went viral because of which the issues got highlighted orelse forget about it ! 2. The passenger are not from Pakistan as FIA can do what ever they see fit to nationals ....Pakistani fail to respect themselves unless your so and so !

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S. A. M.

May 01, 2017 03:59pm

we have seen the video online. the passengers were very rude and they were trying to engage the lady official into a scuffle. they lady passengers were very unruly and extremely insulting. the air port lady staff was avoiding the insult but there's a limit to everything. i think the passengers should also have been taken to task for an attack on officer on duty. perhaps this would cause to reinstate the dismissed officials

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PARVEZ

May 01, 2017 04:09pm

Staff was very unprofessional and immature, they should know how to behave and deal with issues in professional and civilised manor, rather than beating up passengers causing embarrassment to whole to country, I guess these things do happen when you employee peoples without merits. Just dismissal is not good enough, action must be taken against incompetent senior incharge person and the all other one are involved in this. I believe Ch Nasir will make sure just is served..

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parvez

May 01, 2017 04:11pm

Staff was very unprofessional and immature, they should know how to behave and deal with issues in professional and civilised manor, rather than beating up passengers causing embarrassment to whole to country. I guess these things do happen when you employee peoples without merits. Just dismissal is not good enough, action must be taken against incompetent senior in charge person and the all other one are involved in this. I believe Ch Nassir will make sure just is served..

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Iftikhar Husain

May 01, 2017 04:48pm

The airport official must be given full training how to deal with public.

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M.Saeed

May 01, 2017 05:42pm

Highly deplorable attitude of our people on duty at airports. But, who will bear the cost of loss suffered by the family?

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Shahid Khan

May 01, 2017 06:10pm

Ghazala Shaheen should be on an exit control list and not allowed to fly even unless its for Umrah or Hajj; medical reason can also be there but she should not be allowed out of the country.

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Muhammad arsahd

May 01, 2017 06:15pm

@Shawn A Not that PIA is any praise worthy organization, it isn’t at all but the incident in question has nothing to do with PIA. It is the immigration officials who manhandled the passengers, not the PIA employees in this particular incident.

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Ali

May 01, 2017 06:30pm

The FIA immigration staff is the first contact for foreigners visiting the country. This first impression should be friendly and welcoming to Pakistan. So its shocking that FIA constable manhandling Norwegian passengers, regardless of the reason? Such unacceptable behavior of this FIA official has tarnished the image of the country. This person should not just be dismissed, but punished severely. FIA should also conduct additional training for its airport staff, so that they can conduct their duty efficiently in a civilised way.

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rashid ansim

May 01, 2017 10:01pm

As a society our tolerance level is very low. I do not blame the staff or the passenger. I blame the environment created by our leaders where people are at the edge and frustrated with anything and everything. they loose temper on very small things and start fighting with think the reason or cause.

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K Maliks

May 01, 2017 11:50pm

if the norwegian individual had shown such behavior in norway or elsewhere in the west, she would have been tased if not shot........approaching an officer or stepping over their turf would be considered an imminent threat and use of force comes into effect........unfortunately it's only in pakistan where every other person, both sides of the aisle, think they are the godsends and can do whatever........people don't respect officials, will bad mouth and disrespect, and even attack policemen during protest..........i've flown in and out of islamabad for 40+ years and have never encountered an issue.......but i've definitely witnessed a lot of people arguing for the wrong reasons.

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AdIl

May 01, 2017 11:51pm

The rude and impatient passenger family should have been fined as well before allowing them to fly abroad.

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Hakim

May 02, 2017 12:15am

I travel close to 220K miles every year and visit Pakistan almost every alternate month. invariably I have found immigration officers to be benign to the extend that I complained of a passenger jumping the line to get their immigration done. The process was stopped and mine was completed While leaving the country I had only one somewhat compromised situation when an inspector threatened to arrest me when I thought he was trying to scratch something from my passport. I duly informed him that as a federal employee of a foreign state I will have to inform my agency. He was kind enough to apologize and confessed that he was joking.

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akhtar

May 02, 2017 12:40am

@Shawn A Nawaz government wanted to privatize PIA but thanks to the opposition including Imran Khan, it was not materialized.

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akhtar

May 02, 2017 12:45am

@Jo Still, Ghazala needed to show restrain, because customers are always right.

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Sheikh

May 02, 2017 05:46am

I ask Only One Question... Can anyone do what they (Two so called ladies) did at the airport in any other country and get away with it.. They were acting like Gangster's.. They should have been arrested then and there.. FIA staff should back there staff..

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Asad

May 02, 2017 07:39am

All officials working at airports are public servants not masters. They are paid by the taxes paid by public. If such people know what the consequences would be if they do not behave properly, they will behave politely with passengers. Well done.

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Saeed Tirmizi USA

May 02, 2017 08:02am

Appeal to Ch Nisar this is not enough action, all three guilt and corrupt should go in the same time, what image Pakistani FIA have on world and global attention.

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May 02, 2017 11:47am

In all Honesty, the Victim was the one who started the fight. She was the one who attacked first ! Has anyone even seen the video ?

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Aftab

May 02, 2017 03:43pm

@OQ seems like you have been watching the cleaned up edited version of the video that FIA put out. The ladies went behind the counter after seeing an official filming them on his personal mobile phone, which is actually illegal as well as insulting to the women.

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