KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday claimed to have foiled an alleged attempt to traffic teenage girls abroad by offloading three women passengers — a mother and her two daughters — at Jinnah International Airport.
Deputy Director-Immigration Shahzad Akbar said officials examined the travel documents and intended travel arrangements of the two teenage sisters and their mother, who were scheduled to travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
During questioning, one of the girls reportedly said she was around 16 or 17 years old, but her parents had increased her age to obtain a passport and a computerised national identity card (CNIC). She also told investigators that she was being sent to the UAE for alleged sexual exploitation at clubs and hotels.
The FIA also found suspicious WhatsApp conversations on the girls’ mother’s mobile phone involving an agent regarding visas, air tickets and travel expenses. The conversations also referred to other girls, the agency said.
The agent had provided financial assistance to the female passengers, while a transaction of Rs400,000 had also been made into an account belonging to the girls’ father.
Given the sensitivity of the matter, all three passengers were handed over to the FIA’s Human Trafficking Circle for an investigation into suspected human trafficking, the alleged sexual exploitation of underage girls abroad, and the identification of agents and facilitators involved in such activities, an FIA statement added.
Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2026
