FIA offloads nearly 40,000 passengers as irregular migration deaths persist

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) offloaded nearly 40,000 passengers in 2025 as part of its efforts to prevent irregular migration,

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) offloaded nearly 40,000 passengers in 2025 as part of its efforts to prevent irregular migration, while more than 3,100 suspected human-smuggling agents were arrested. Despite the crackdown, official data shows that 109 Pakistani nationals died while attempting to migrate through irregular routes during the year.

The figures come as authorities registered a case against three deportees — Tahseen Ullah, Muhammad Ramadan and Muhammad Adnan — over their alleged attempts to travel illegally without valid departure records from Pakistan.

According to officials, Tahseen Ullah and Muhammad Ramadan had travelled to Kyrgyzstan on work visas before allegedly attempting to enter Kazakhstan through an illegal route. They were subsequently deported.

The third suspect, Muhammad Adnan, was deported from Oman.

During the investigation, officials found that none of the three men had a valid departure record from Pakistan. A case was subsequently registered against them under Sections 3 and 4 of the Passport Act 1974.

The FIA said investigations would also focus on identifying facilitators and human-smuggling agents who may have assisted the suspects in travelling abroad through unlawful means.

FIA data shows that immigration authorities offloaded 39,786 passengers in 2025 following intelligence-based screening. A further 34,688 passengers were reportedly offloaded for reasons unrelated to FIA action.

Separately, the National Assembly was informed that at least 51,000 passengers were offloaded during the year, highlighting the scale of scrutiny at Pakistan’s airports and entry points.

The agency also registered 2,421 human-smuggling cases from December 2024 onwards and arrested 3,130 suspected agents.

Authorities seized property worth approximately Rs961.71 million, recovered Rs87.7 million and froze around Rs239.63 million held in bank accounts linked to suspected smuggling activities.

Overall deportations declined by 16 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year. Deportations linked to beggary fell by 75 per cent, while those involving forgery declined by 31 per cent.

According to Frontex data cited by officials, illegal border crossings into Europe by Pakistani nationals also dropped by 64 per cent during January-February 2025-26.

However, officials stressed that declining interception and deportation figures do not eliminate the risks associated with irregular migration.

The human cost remains significant. Citing International Organization for Migration (IOM) figures, the FIA told parliament that 109 Pakistani nationals lost their lives in 2025 while attempting irregular migration.

Over the last three years, around 460 Pakistanis have reportedly fallen victim to dangerous migration routes, with at least 377 deaths documented.

The issue gained renewed attention following the *June 2023 Greece boat tragedy, in which numerous Pakistani migrants died after a migrant vessel sank.

FIA Additional Director General Immigration Nouman Siddiqui said passengers are now assessed through established procedures rather than arbitrary decisions. These include travel history, document verification, travel patterns and the requirements of destination countries.

The agency has introduced a Risk Analysis Unit featuring five risk profiles for identifying suspicious travellers. It has also deployed AI-based passenger screening and the IBMS-II system, linked with NADRA and Interpol.

Pre-departure facilitation desks and a 24-hour helpline have also been introduced to assist passengers and address immigration-related concerns.

Officials said several intercepted passengers were travelling through suspicious routes or had allegedly been targeted by fake overseas employment schemes, forged documents and fraudulent sponsorship arrangements.

An Immigration official further informed a National Assembly committee that 57,510 deportees are currently placed on the Passport Control List.

The latest figures suggest that while enforcement measures have reduced some forms of irregular migration and increased action against smugglers, the continued loss of Pakistani lives shows that the risks remain substantial.