RAWALPINDI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has issued fresh directives to the immigration staff regarding re-checking of travel documents of passengers. Under the fresh directives, the special checking officer shall not check travel documents of each and every passenger.

The immigration officer will re-check the documents of only those passengers about whom reasonable suspicion exists regarding the validity of their documents, the order said.

The fresh orders were conveyed to all immigration in-charges at airports and land border check posts.

The move was aimed at saving passengers from unwarranted hassle at the immigration check posts.

The director general Immigration Waqar Ahmed Chauhan said the fresh directives regarding re-checking of travel documents had been issued after it was observed that a standing order, issued in 2005 pertaining to special checking, was not being followed by the immigration staff at airports.

The director immigration further said to avoid undue hurdles for the passengers, women, children; elderly people, crippled and sick passengers had been exempted from the rechecking process.

The immigration staff had been directed to ensure that not more than 10pc of the total air passengers passed through the rechecking process by a special checking officer, though depending upon the circumstances.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2021