RAWALPINDI: An Umrah pilgrim was not allowed to board Saudi-bound flight by immigration staff at Islamabad International Airport after authorities claimed that she did not have proper documents for travelling to Mecca.

She was later handed over to the local police for the registration of a criminal case after she protested against being denied permission to travel to Saudi Arabia.

Ms Tehmeena Bibi, a resident of Attock and a teacher by profession, was granted bail after being produced before a local court on Wednesday.

She was arrested after a dispute arose over her request that the immigration staff provide a written explanation for not allowing her to board the Saudi-bound flight.

After detaining the intended female Umrah pilgrim at the airport, FIA immigration staff handed her over to the police and got a case registered with Airport Police.

The woman had arrived at Islamabad International Airport to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah. During immigration clearance, officials asked her about her hotel booking and certain documents, but she could not provide a satisfactory response, according to the FIR.

She was later referred to the second-line counter for further inquiry. After waiting there as well, the woman was not allowed to board the plane on the grounds that her documents were incomplete.

The woman asked the staff concerned to provide the reason in writing. Apparently, the immigration staff could not satisfy her. As soon as she tried to make a video on her mobile phone, an argument broke out between her and the FIA immigration staff.

The immigration officials then asked her not to make a video and told her to delete it, but the passenger insisted on being given a written explanation for being stopped.

However, the FIA immigration staff was not willing to provide it and detained the woman at the airport with the help of female staff members.

Meanwhile, other airport officials also tried to resolve the matter between the woman and the FIA immigration staff. However, on the instructions of the FIA Immigration Deputy Director, female Sub-Inspector Ansa Tayyaba Iffat lodged a complaint against the passenger.

In the FIR, Ms Ansa Tayyaba Iffat stated that Ms Tehmeena Bibi, who was travelling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, had been referred by the counter official for secondary verification on Tuesday.

She stated, “Upon formal request to present documentation and verify the hotel booking, the passenger not only failed to provide sufficient information she was asked for, but was also deemed unfit for travel and was officially offloaded as per the risk analysis parameters established by FIA Headquarters.”

Passengers stage sit-in over flight delay

Passengers of a private airline flight from Islamabad to Saudi Arabia staged a protest at Islamabad International Airport after experiencing prolonged delays and technical issues with the aircraft on Tuesday late at night.

A senior official at IIAP said that a private airline flight from Islamabad to Madinah was scheduled to depart at 1pm, but due to technical reasons, the flight departed at about 7.30pm.

The aircraft had been flying when the captain identified a technical issue and decided to return back to Islamabad as a precautionary measure.

After the safe landing, the aircraft was parked at a remote bay, presuming that the fault would be removed shortly, enabling it to resume its journey.

The passengers who had been facing delays since morning remained on board the aircraft, but after it was discovered that it would take a long time to remove the fault, the passengers disembarked.

After the aircraft landed back at the airport, the passengers, including women and children, were disembarked. The frustrated travellers gathered - some of them sat on the apron area and expressed their resentment over the continued delays of their flight, which they had been facing since morning.

According to reports circulating on social media, a large number of travellers gathered at the apron and argued with the airline staff over the delays of their flight.

Initially, the airline staff tried to convince passengers to stay calm and wait for some time as they were making arrangements for them to shift them to the hotel.

Later, the passengers were sent to Saudi Arabia at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2026