In two separate operations at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested eight passengers attempting to travel abroad on fake documents. The passengers were detained while trying to board flights to Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, revealing a troubling trend of illegal travel schemes aimed at exploiting the system.
Arrests of Saudi Arabia-Bound Passengers
The first operation targeted five passengers attempting to travel to Saudi Arabia under the guise of performing Umrah. The FIA became suspicious during routine immigration clearance checks. Upon investigation, it was revealed that these individuals had no genuine intention of performing religious pilgrimage. Instead, they were planning to beg in the Kingdom.
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This development comes in the wake of recent concerns raised by Gulf nations regarding the growing number of Pakistani beggars entering their countries under false pretenses. Many of these individuals exploit pilgrimage visas to enter Saudi Arabia for begging, tarnishing the reputation of Pakistani expatriates and labor force abroad.
Fake Study Visas for Azerbaijan
In a separate incident, three passengers were arrested while attempting to fly to Azerbaijan on fraudulent study visas. The FIA found discrepancies in their documents during the immigration clearance process. The passengers revealed that they had paid a local agent, Asim, substantial amounts to secure visas, with the promise of receiving German visas upon their arrival in Azerbaijan.
According to the FIA, Asim arranged the fake documents, charging Rs300,000 from two of the passengers and Rs800,000 from the third, Mohammad Hussain, an employee of the Capital City Police Peshawar. Hussain was traveling on a private passport without obtaining a mandatory no objection certificate (NOC) from his department, which further implicated him in the scheme.
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This crackdown on fraudulent travel documents follows months of heightened scrutiny on Pakistani expatriates. Several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, have voiced concerns about the influx of Pakistani beggars and undocumented workers entering their countries. A Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis revealed in a recent report that a significant portion of Pakistanis leaving the country are doing so under false pretenses, primarily for begging.
