KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday prevented 23 passengers from boarding a flight to Malaysia at Jinnah International Airport after investigations indicated they intended to seek illegal employment abroad.
According to an FIA spokesperson, the passengers were travelling on flight D7-109 using visit visas. However, profiling and questioning revealed that they planned to overstay their visas and work unlawfully in Malaysia. The individuals belonged to different parts of the country, including Karachi, Lower Dir, Mardan, Swat, Bajaur, Bannu, Gujrat, and Peshawar.
During the inquiry, several passengers admitted their intentions to work illegally after arrival. Investigators also uncovered the involvement of an agent network facilitating the travel. One agent, Muhammad Owais, stated that the visas had been arranged by a fellow passenger, Waseem Khan, through another intermediary identified as Stefan. Authorities confirmed that visa-related payments were made via bank transfers.
Immigration officials further noted that the passengers failed to meet Malaysian visit visa requirements, as they lacked adequate financial resources and were unable to produce mandatory bank statements.
Following the offloading, all passengers were transferred to the FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Karachi for further investigation and legal action.
Earlier this week, the FIA informed a parliamentary committee that more than 66,000 passengers have been offloaded nationwide this year as part of efforts to dismantle organised networks involved in illegal migration. The issue has remained under scrutiny since the Lahore High Court earlier ruled that passengers cannot be stopped from travelling solely on the basis of verbal instructions, following numerous offloading incidents across the country.
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