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FIA ramps up crackdown on illegal migration after string of airport interceptions

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has intensified a sweeping campaign against illegal migration and suspected internal collusion after a series of interceptions at major airports involving forged documents and, officials say, the possible assistance of insiders. Immigration officers at New Islamabad International Airport offloaded a passenger, Muhammad Usman, who attempted to travel to Europe on an Umrah visa on Sunday. Usman was identified during clearance for flight PK-713, and officials said an initial probe revealed he had been deported from Italy earlier this year and remained in contact with multiple travel agents. A search of his mobile phone yielded a tampered resident card with an altered expiry date, officials added. Read: FIA stops Afghan national using fake Greek ID to reach Europe Authorities described the episode as part of a pattern in which travellers seek to exploit religious travel visas and falsified paperwork to reach European destinations. Usman, they said, appears to have planned onward travel from Saudi Arabia to Europe using forged documents. He has been taken into custody and handed over to the FIA Composite Circle in Gujranwala for further legal action. Earlier this week, officers at the same Islamabad airport intercepted an Afghan national, Jannat Gul Niazi, who was offloaded from flight PK-749 to France after immigration staff discovered he was travelling on a counterfeit Greek resident card, according to officials. Internal collusion unearthed The recent sting operations have also exposed worrying signs of internal complicity. Immigration teams at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore flagged multiple attempts by passengers to bypass travel regulations that, officials suspect, involved assistance from within the agency. Those revelations prompted an unannounced visit on Sunday by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, Chaudhry Salik Hussain. Read more: Airport staff intercept passengers linked to suspected FIA official collusion During the visit, officials briefed the ministers on a case in which a passenger seeking employment abroad as a driver was prevented from departing because he did not hold a valid driving licence despite having what was marked as “Protector” clearance on his paperwork. Minister Hussain ordered an immediate inquiry into the Protector verification system to determine how job-related travel documents are being vetted and to ensure that the process cannot be manipulated. He added that citizens whose conduct brings disrepute to the country could be barred from international travel. Administrative action In response to the findings, the FIA has acted swiftly to discipline personnel implicated in the probe. On Friday, FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar Raja dismissed three officials from service, including an inspector posted at the Counter Terrorism Wing in Karachi and a sub-inspector attached to Lahore Airport. Also read: Three FIA officials sacked over 'malpractices' The DG also recommended the removal of a Sindh police sub-inspector who was on deputation with the FIA, and imposed major penalties on four other officers for defective investigations and misconduct. Officials said these administrative measures form part of a broader effort to cleanse the agency of corrupt elements and to shore up integrity at airport checkpoints. They added that investigations are continuing and that further action will follow if additional evidence of wrongdoing emerges.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/pvRcMrW
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