The individuals—Muhammad Imran, Mian Tauseef, Sultan Afzal, and Abdul Rehman—were set to board flight CZ8070 to New Zealand. They are said to belong to Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar.
During routine immigration checks, the work visas presented by the passengers were found to be suspected forgeries. Their passports also carried protector stamps from offices in Rawalpindi, Abbottabad and Peshawar, which further raised suspicion, officials said.
The FIA’s Anti-Human Smuggling Cell took the passengers into custody for further investigation and launched a probe to trace the agent allegedly involved in the racket. Officials said verification of the visas is under way.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has called for tighter immigration controls and protection for legal travellers, According to FIA, 451 individuals involved in human trafficking and illegal migration have been arrested in recent months.
In recent months, several reports have emerged of passengers with complete documentation being offloaded during immigration checks. Many travellers have complained of facing difficulties despite holding valid visas and travel papers
The prime minister has directed authorities to ensure that passengers with valid travel documents are not treated as illegal immigrants during screening procedures.
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Riffat Mukhtar has said the agency is investigating reports of workers being offloaded at airports.
According to a statement issued by the agency, the FIA chief stated that during a meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain on Thursday.
Over the past few months, numerous incidents have been reported of travellers being offloaded from flights at various airports on grounds of suspicion, despite possessing valid travel documents.
During the meeting, the minister was briefed on such incidents.
DG FIA Mukhtar informed the meeting participants that incidents of workers being offloaded had been reported at Lahore and Karachi airports, and that investigations were underway.
"If any FIA officials are found involved, strict action will be taken against them," the statement quoted him as saying.
While addressing the participants, Minister Hussain pointed out that workers were offloaded at different airports despite having work visas and protection certificates.
"Pakistanis going abroad for employment are highly respected by us, and no one will be allowed to unlawfully stop workers at airports," the minister said, per the statement.
Overseas Pakistanis, he said, send foreign remittances to Pakistan, which drives the national economy. The minister directed the DG FIA to immediately resolve the issue and instructed that no work visa holders be offloaded at airports in the future.
According to the statement, no new conditions have been imposed by the FIA for those travelling abroad on work visas, nor has any new requirement been introduced for obtaining an affidavit from a government officer.
A new digital system will soon be introduced, through which workers can complete their immigration online before departure.