Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday directed authorities that no traveller carrying valid and complete documents should be stopped from boarding, amid rising complaints of passengers being offloaded at airports in recent months.
The instruction followed his visit to Islamabad International Airport, where he met outbound travellers to review the situation that has caused widespread concern.Â
In a statement on X, Naqvi said he had ordered a strict crackdown against visa agents allegedly exploiting travellers. He also took notice of a complaint lodged on November 7 about low staffing at airport immigration counters and asked for an immediate inquiry, including a review of CCTV footage.
Multiple passengers have recently reported being removed from flights despite having legitimate travel documents.
The minister stated that while no passenger with genuine documents should face any obstruction, authorities would not allow anyone travelling on fake or unverified papers to proceed under any circumstances, saying such attempts harm the country’s international reputation.Â
He added that visa agents involved in fraudulent practices would face zero tolerance.
On Thursday, the Federal Investigation Agency clarified that passengers were only being offloaded if they lacked valid documents or were suspected of having links to migrant smugglers. The FIA also initiated legal action against individuals accused of spreading misleading information on social media about alleged offloading incidents.
