LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed to have detected two suspected cases of human trafficking and illegal migration involving four persons at the Multan International Airport, including an alleged attempt to use Umrah visas as a cover for “unlawful and immoral activities”.
As per FIA, in the first incident, its immigration officials intercepted two passengers, a woman ‘S’ and a man ‘I’, during immigration clearance of a Saudi Arabia-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Flight, PF-702, on Aug 10. The passengers, who were travelling on Umrah visas,were referred for detailed scrutiny when immigration officials developed suspicion about the actual purpose of their travel.
According to the FIA, examination of the two passengers’ mobile phones and electronic communications revealed material that prima facie suggested their possible links with an organised network allegedly facilitating the movement of people abroad for unlawful purposes.
The preliminary inquiry also indicated that the Umrah visas might have been arranged and used as a cover for activities inconsistent with the declared purpose of travel, including suspected human trafficking and prostitution, the FIA said.
During questioning, the passengers allegedly disclosed the identity of a travel agent who had facilitated their travel arrangements. The passengers, along with their mobile phones and other relevant material, were referred to the FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle (AHTC) in Multan for further investigation and forensic examination.
In a separate incident on Aug 8, FIA immigration officials intercepted two persons, Safdar Iqbal and Faisal Shahzad, both residents of Mandi Bahauddin, after they landed at Multan airport on Flight No G9558 from the UAE.
The FIA said their travel history could not be found in the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS). During initial questioning, the two men allegedly disclosed that they had illegally crossed the Taftan border with the assistance of a travel agent, Nasir.
According to the passengers, the agent allegedly facilitated their illegal departure from Pakistan and arranged their travel to Iraq on the promise of securing jobs for them at a hotel. However, they were recently arrested by the Iraqi police and remained in custody for seven days before being deported to Pakistan. One of the passengers also disclosed that he had previously been deported from Türkiye.
The FIA forwarded the information about the alleged travel agent and the circumstances of the passengers’ travel to the AHTC for further investigation and legal action.
The agency said it was continuing efforts to identify and take action against individuals and networks involved in human trafficking and illegal migration.
Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2026
