FIA denies offloading of passengers from Lahore airport

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday strongly rejected rumours circulating on social media about passengers being offloaded from flights at Lahore airport, saying no traveller with complete and legal documents is being stopped.

FIA Lahore Zone Director Captain (retd) Ali Zia clarified that immigration staff only stop those passengers whose travel documents are incomplete, suspicious or linked to illegal migration.

“No passenger is being offloaded at Lahore airport. Even immigration authorities cannot stop anyone if their documents are complete and legal,” he said.

He said fake news was being spread deliberately on social media to create unrest and confusion among the public, adding that people attempting to travel abroad through illegal means are being identified and stopped through profiling.

Captain Ali Zia revealed that some individuals try to use women as shields to avoid suspicion, while others carry employment documents of fake foreign companies to bypass immigration checks.

The clarification came as the government tightened its crackdown on human smuggling following several deadly boat tragedies involving Pakistanis attempting illegal migration.

Read More: Islamabad to get modern traffic management and digital parking system

In a parallel development, Jamia Naeemia Lahore issued a religious decree declaring illegal travel abroad un-Islamic and against Shariah. The fatwa, issued by Mufti Raghib Hussain Naeemi and Mufti Imran Hanfi, also called on the government to take strict legal action against human smugglers and agents who exploit innocent citizens.

Meanwhile, Pakistanis have emerged as the highest number of asylum seekers in the UK during 2024–25, with 11,048 applicants, making up 10.1% of total asylum claims. In 2023–24, Pakistan ranked third with 7,003 asylum applications.

Authorities have urged citizens not to fall victim to illegal agents and to rely only on legal and documented channels for travelling abroad.