FIA Recovers 171 Pakistanis from Libya, All Had Travelled by Air: DG FIA
ISLAMABAD: Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Dr Usman Anwar has revealed that Pakistani security authorities have recovered 171 Pakistani nationals from Libya, all of whom had initially travelled abroad by air before allegedly falling victim to human smuggling networks.
Speaking to the media about the offloading of passengers at airports and procedures followed under court orders, the FIA chief said passengers were not stopped without reason.
He said the High Court had laid down a formal procedure for offloading passengers, under which individuals are stopped when they are unable to provide basic information or documents regarding their travel, stay and destination.
Dr Usman Anwar said the 171 Pakistanis recovered from Libya had all travelled through legal air routes before becoming victims of dangerous human-smuggling networks.
آف لوڈنگ کےبہت معاملات ارہے ہیں کیا کہیں گے ؟ڈی جی ایف ائی اے ڈاکٹر عثمان انور سے سوال؟
ڈی جی ایف ائی اے نے کیا فرمایا خودی سن لیں pic.twitter.com/javHle5AnN— Waqas Awan (@WaqasAwan666) October 1, 2026
He said a significant number of those involved belonged to a particular part of Pakistan. According to the FIA chief, such individuals often initially travel to Saudi Arabia on Umrah visas or to Malaysia and Thailand on visit visas before becoming part of human-smuggling networks and eventually reaching Libya through irregular routes.
He said the FIA was continuing strict scrutiny and offloading at airports in accordance with the judicially prescribed process to protect citizens from illegal travel, deception by human smugglers and dangerous routes across Africa and Europe that could put their lives at risk.
The FIA director general stressed that the airport screening and offloading process would continue transparently under the established legal and judicial framework.
