At least 47 more Pakistanis were deported from Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, and seven other countries in just one day due to allegations of illegal activities, immigration sources reported on Monday.
According to sources, Saudi Arabia expelled six Pakistanis over charges of drug peddling, while Azerbaijan deported four others after declaring them “unpleasant” individuals.
Additionally, four passengers were deported after attempting illegal entry into Malaysia and Iraq.
Meanwhile, two more Pakistani nationals were among those deported from Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, sources added.
30 Pakistani Passengers Offloaded at Karachi Airport
Parallel to this, at least 30 Pakistani passengers traveling abroad were offloaded from planes at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.
Immigration sources reported that among those offloaded were at least 14 pilgrims bound for Saudi Arabia for Umrah. The authorities intercepted them due to issues related to hotel bookings and insufficient funds for expenses abroad.
Additionally, two other passengers traveling to the United Kingdom and Azerbaijan also faced offloading at the airport.
Moreover, the offloaded passengers included 14 individuals intending to travel to Iraq, Malaysia, Iran, and other countries on work visas, sources said.
FIA Detains Five Pakistanis Upon Arrival
In a related development, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration unit at Jinnah International Airport detained five passengers arriving from Mauritania for questioning.
According to an FIA spokesperson, the detained individuals belong to Hafizabad, Gujranwala, and Swat.
Preliminary investigations revealed that travel agents had charged them between Rs2.5 million and Rs3.5 million for illegal passage to Europe.
The passengers initially traveled to Mauritania via Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, where agents attempted to send them illegally to Europe. However, they refused to undertake the illegal sea journey and decided to return to Pakistan.
The individuals have been transferred to the Anti-Human Smuggling Circle in Karachi for further investigation and to identify the agents involved.
FIA Karachi Zone Director stated that strict scrutiny of travel documents continues, and indiscriminate action is being taken against human smugglers and their facilitators.
These developments follow the implementation of stringent protocols by immigration authorities. Last month, the FIA directed its deputy directors of immigration across the country to be extra vigilant while clearing passengers for boarding to curb rampant human trafficking.
