• Reviews immigration system linking passengers’ travel history with Nadra and passport data at Lahore airport
• Warns anyone tarnishing Pakistan’s reputation cannot be allowed to travel

LAHORE: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Lahore airport on Tuesday and declared that anyone attempting to travel on incomplete or bogus documents would be stopped under all circumstances.

During the visit, the minister, accompanied by FIA Lahore Director Ali Zia, reviewed the immigration process for departing passengers and inspected the system that links passengers’ travel history with their national identity cards and passports at immigration counters.

He also met passengers departing for foreign destinations and inquired about their experience with the immigration process.

The minister visited the immigration counters for arriving passengers as well, asking them about the time it took to complete their immigration.

Passengers expressed satisfaction with the immigration process, PTV News report said, further quoting them as saying that the process was “completed in just two minutes”.

“No passenger with complete travel documents is being stopped from travelling, nor will they ever be stopped. However, passengers with incomplete or bogus documents will not be allowed to travel under any circumstances,” he warned.

“Pakistan’s dignity is our collective dignity. Anyone who tarnishes the country’s reputation cannot be allowed to travel,” the minister said.

The FIA has been under immense criticism for the past few weeks for stopping a significant number of people, including work visa holders, students and pilgrims, despite their possession of valid travel documents.

In several cases, the travellers denied boarding by the FIA alleged that immigration officials demanded money to allow them to leave for their destinations.

The actions came after a crackdown on migrant smuggling following last year’s boat tragedy in Greece that claimed lives of several Pakistanis.

Addressing the matter during a press conference in Lahore on Monday, Mr Naqvi claimed that just 50-70 people were being offloaded daily across the country.

The minister reasserted that there could be some negligence on part of the FIA, but travellers having all necessary documents were not being barred from travelling abroad. He added that the action against travellers with insufficient documents was necessary as “we are trying to improve the ranking of our passport”.

“I have asked the FIA to share this data so that people realise how an agent mafia is running a campaign on social media. Because obviously, they are the ones who will actually face consequences in this matter,” he said.

FIA clarifies

Amid reports regarding the arbitrary offloading of passengers travelling abroad, an official from the Federal Investigation Agency last week clarified that people were only being offloaded or denied boarding if they did not have valid documents or authorities suspected them of working with migrant smugglers.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2025