GUJRAT: The immigration authorities deployed at Lahore airport have clarified that two passengers deported from Baku (Azerbaijan) were initially offloaded at Lahore on Feb 4 but they were allowed to fly after both the passengers approached the Lahore High Court.

A spokesman for FIA Lahore zone said Shahzad Ahmed and Habibullah were initially offloaded at the Lahore airport due to the absence of mandatory travel requirements as the action was taken in line with FIA Headquarters directives to mitigate potential risks of human trafficking and illegal onward migration.

Both passengers subsequently filed writ petitions in the Lahore High Court. Shahzad Ahmed’s plea was heard by Justice Raheel Kamran and Habibullah’s petition by Justice Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh.

The department maintained passengers had been offloaded as a preventive measure in line with FIA Headquarters directives to mitigate potential risks of human trafficking and illegal onward migration, and would be allowed to travel once they fulfilled mandatory travel requirements. On a court order both passengers left Lahore, having fulfilled the mandatory requirements.

During onward travel in Baku, Azerbaijan, it was discovered that both passengers attempted illegal migration to Europe using counterfeit Greek stamps and fake residence cards, facilitated by agent Zia Sami and sub-agent Asif Khan.

The Baku Immigration authorities deported them back to Pakistan. They landed at the Sialkot airport on Feb 26 26 where they were detained by FIA Immigration. The passengers and agents have been referred to FIA/AHTC Sialkot for further legal action.

“This sequence of events demonstrates that the initial offloading, additional scrutiny, and monitoring were fully in consistent with FIA HQs directives. The department acted responsibly to prevent human trafficking, and uphold the integrity of Pakistan’s immigration measures, while also ensuring lawful travel once all requirements were met. The detection of fraudulent activity during onward travel further validates the effectiveness of proactive immigration enforcement by FIA Lahore,” FIA said.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2026