ISLAMABAD: A total of 132 passengers were offloaded from scheduled flights at airports across Pakistan during 2025 by immigration officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), while 85 FIA personnel were penalised for misuse of authority in immigration-related matters during the same period, according to a report submitted to the Senate.
The FIA informed the upper house of parliament earlier this week that strict action was being taken against immigration officials found responsible for unjustified offloading of passengers or involvement with human smuggling networks. The agency stated that final inquiries conducted during 2025 found 85 officials guilty of abusing their authority, leading to disciplinary action against them.
Among the complaints lodged against FIA personnel were allegations of unlawful offloading, mistreatment of passengers, and the acceptance of a Rs500,000 bribe from a traveller at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport. The report also highlighted a case in which 15 individuals travelling on valid work visas were allegedly offloaded without justification.
Several complaints involved passengers who were repeatedly prevented from boarding flights after refusing to pay bribes demanded by FIA officials. In one reported incident, a complainant’s brother was stopped from boarding his scheduled flight at Karachi airport and was subsequently offloaded.
According to the report, the FIA’s Directorate of Internal Accountability is tasked with strengthening internal oversight mechanisms, safeguarding institutional integrity, and ensuring accountability within the agency.
FIA records further revealed that 132 passengers were offloaded nationwide during 2025. Islamabad International Airport recorded the highest number of offloading cases with 62 passengers, followed by Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport with 54, Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport with 32, Multan Airport with 21, Faisalabad Airport with six, and Sialkot Airport with three.
However, the agency clarified that these figures were compiled on the basis of complaints received regarding alleged wrongful offloading rather than official data maintained by the FIA itself.
The document submitted to the Senate stated that investigations into the complaints showed many passengers lacked the necessary travel documentation. Following scrutiny of their records, the FIA concluded that several complainants had not fulfilled mandatory travel requirements.
The report noted that affected passengers were advised to complete the required documentation and formalities, after which they were able to undertake their travel successfully.
According to the FIA, a majority of the offloading cases were considered justified because passengers lacked sufficient financial resources, confirmed hotel reservations, protector stamps, complete educational documents, or a clear and legitimate purpose of travel. In some cases, travellers also possessed incomplete documentation or had other pending requirements necessary for international travel.
The agency further stated that passengers seeking clarification or guidance could approach the office of the FIA deputy director both before departure and after any offloading incident. Additionally, a pre-departure facilitation desk has been established at the Faisalabad Zonal Office to assist travellers in verifying and completing their travel documents before departure.
Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court recently ruled that immigration authorities cannot restrict a citizen’s right to travel abroad on the basis of vague suspicions or unsubstantiated grounds, reinforcing legal protections for travellers against arbitrary offloading.