Pakistan takes action against airport officials for offloading travellers

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has acted against its several officers for wrongly offloading travellers at the domestic airports.

Officials said that at least 132 passengers were offloaded from their scheduled flights at various airports across Pakistan in the past year by immigration officers of the FIA while 85 of its officials were penalised for misuse of authority during this period, according to a report submitted to the Senate.

Meanwhile, LHC judge Justice Raheel Kamran has issued fresh guidelines restricting the FIA from offloading passengers travelling abroad without valid legal grounds, ruling that citizens possessing valid visas, tickets, and travel documents cannot be stopped merely based on vague suspicions or apprehensions.

He directed that immigration officials must record detailed and meaningful reasons before offloading any passenger. He also ordered that all questions asked of passengers, along with their replies, must be properly documented.

The FIA informed the Senate that strict measures were in place against immigration officials involved in the unjustified offloading of passengers or collaboration with human smugglers.

It added that during 2025, final inquiries found 85 officials guilty of misuse of authority in immigration-related matters and they were penalised.

Among the complaints against FIA officers were allegations of offloading, torture and taking a bribe of Rs500,000 from a passenger at Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore.

Similarly, the immigration staff unjustifiably offloaded 15 candidates who were travelling on work visas.

Most of the cases related to passengers being offloaded multiple times for refusing to give bribes to FIA officers. In one case, the brother of a complainant was offloaded and not allowed to board his scheduled flight at Karachi airport.

The FIA report stated that its Directorate of Internal Accountability was responsible for strengthening internal oversight, protecting institutional integrity, and enforcing accountability within the agency.

Justice Kamran ruled that the right to travel abroad is a fundamental constitutional right and that the FIA’s powers are not unlimited.

He also directed authorities to electronically preserve interviews or conversations wherever possible and provide a copy of the offloading order or proforma to the affected passenger.

The court emphasised that recording reasons is not a mere formality but a legal requirement, adding that administrative powers must be exercised transparently, fairly and strictly in accordance with the law.

The judge declared the FIA’s decision to offload a citizen from travelling to Nigeria illegal despite the passenger having all the required travel documents. The ruling came on a petition filed by citizen Muhammad Abbas.

Justice Kamran observed that the petitioner had challenged the FIA action after being offloaded despite holding valid travel documents, a visa, and an air ticket.

According to the petitioner, he had already received immigration clearance and a boarding card before he was suddenly stopped from boarding the flight.

The FIA had argued that the petitioner was prevented from travelling due to concerns that he might not return from Dubai. However,

the court noted that the petitioner was neither wanted in any criminal case nor part of any inquiry, blacklist, or Exit Control List (ECL).