LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underlined the need to fully utilise modern technology to upgrade Pakistan’s immigration system while chairing a high-level review meeting on the eradication of human trafficking and measures to curb illegal travel abroad.
In this regard, the prime minister referred to recent reports and public complaints regarding the offloading of passengers travelling overseas. He appreciated Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for personally visiting airports to review the situation on the ground and ensure better oversight.
Furthermore, PM Shehbaz directed the authorities to take firm action against individuals attempting to travel abroad illegally or using suspicious travel documents.
However, he stressed that special care must be taken to ensure that passengers holding valid documents are not subjected to unnecessary inconvenience or delays. The prime minister also instructed that the performance of the Protectorate of Emigrants be further improved.
He focused on the importance of increased coordination among the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the protectorates and other relevant institutions to facilitate Pakistanis travelling abroad legally for employment and other legitimate purposes.
In this sense, the FIA had arrested 451 individuals involved in human trafficking and illegal travel during the current year.
The number of Pakistanis travelling illegally to Europe had declined by 47 per cent. Similar reductions were also reported in cases involving the use of illegal documents for travel to the United Kingdom and Gulf countries.
The meeting was informed that illegal migration, misuse of work, visit and tourist visas, offloading and deportation continue to pose major challenges, particularly in European countries.
Most deportations were reported from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Malaysia and Oman.
Meanwhile, the participants were told that a risk assessment unit within the FIA is currently operational, allowing for targeted passenger screening and systematic recording of data related to deported and illegal travellers.
It was also disclosed that 196 FIA officers and personnel had been dismissed after corruption charges were proven against them.
So far, PM Shehbaz chaired another review meeting on domestic exports, where he said a sustained increase in exports was essential for Pakistan’s economic development and long-term stability.
He directed the federal ministers for commerce, industry and production, and national food security to personally visit exporters in major industrial and commercial cities to understand their issues and ensure their timely resolution.
