I RECENTLY arrived at the airport in Karachi and was surprised by the long, slow-moving immigration lines and the dated process. After hours of travel, passengers were made to wait simply to answer one basic question: which flight did you take coming here?

The contrast with Dubai could not be sharper. At departure from Dubai, I passed through an automated eye scanner in seconds. On arrival there earlier, I simply scanned my passport at a smart gate and walked through. There were no queues, no repetitive questioning, and no unnecessary delays. The technology exists. It works.

Pakistan is not new to technology-driven governance. We already use systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) for automatic traffic challans, vehicle recognition and surveillance. If we can identify a speeding car or a signal violation automatically, why can we not identify a traveller through biometric verification at immigration?

Airports are a nation’s front door. Long queues, manual stamping and redundant questions project inefficiency and poor planning. They waste time, exhaust travellers, overburden staff, and create opportunities for human error. Smart immigration gates using passport chips, facial recognition and biometric databases that dramatically reduce waiting times.

Dr Irfan Habib
Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2026