The FIA briefed the Prime Minister on arrests, technological improvements and reforms to prevent illegal travel without harming legal passengers.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting on Saturday at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad to review measures against human trafficking, undocumented travel abroad and weaknesses in the country’s immigration processes.
The Prime Minister was briefed on recent coercive actions by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), including the arrest of 451 people involved in human trafficking and illegal migration.
He also highlighted the airport inspections carried out by Mohsin Naqvi following complaints about the unloading of passengers, calling the intervention timely and necessary.
The Prime Minister directed authorities to ensure that passengers possessing valid travel documents are not harassed by coercive action against illegal travellers.
He stressed the need to improve the performance of the Immigrant Protectorate and strengthen coordination between the FIA and other relevant institutions to avoid delays for legitimate travelers.
Highlighting the role of technology, the prime minister called for greater use of digital tools to improve the efficiency and transparency of immigration procedures. He further ordered authorities to take strict action against corrupt elements within law enforcement agencies, noting that 196 FIA officials and staff had already been dismissed after being found guilty of corruption.
According to an FIA report, coercive measures have resulted in a 47% decrease in the number of Pakistanis attempting to travel to Europe illegally.
The report also reported a reduction in attempts to travel to the UK and Gulf countries using forged or fraudulent documents. The main challenges identified included the misuse of work, tourist and visit visas, as well as the increase in cases of passenger discharge and deportation.
Most of the deportations occurred from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Malaysia and Oman.
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The FIA has established a Risk Assessment Unit to enable targeted screening of passengers and is systematically integrating data on deported and illegal travelers into its databases.
The agency is also focusing on improving security measures at airports. Officials said work was underway to activate the electronic gates, while access to Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record (API-PNR) databases would allow authorities to flag suspicious travel documents in advance.
The meeting also reviewed long-term reforms aimed at strengthening border management. These include the development of a mobile application to track passenger data, as well as the restructuring of the Integrated Border Management System (IBM-S) and the FIA’s IT departments. Artificial intelligence tools will also be used to identify patterns and behaviors related to illegal travel.
The meeting was attended by senior federal ministers including Azam Nazir Tarar, Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar and Talal Chaudhry along with other officials.
Officials said the measures were aimed at curbing illegal migration and human trafficking while ensuring smoother travel for citizens with valid documents.
