51,000 Pakistanis Off-Loaded from Flights This Year: FIA DG

Islamabad: Director General of FIA, Riffat Mukhtar Raja, informed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis that a total of 51,000 Pakistani passengers were off-loaded from flights this year due to various reasons. Among them, 24,000 were off-loaded from flights to Saudi Arabia, 6,000 to Dubai, and 2,500 to Azerbaijan.

He noted that last year, 8,000 Pakistanis attempted to travel illegally to Europe, which has now decreased to 4,000. Off-loading decisions are based on documentation, data, and online verification, as many travelers lack complete information regarding universities, courses, or employment abroad.

DG FIA further revealed that Saudi Arabia deported 56,000 Pakistanis this year on charges of begging. Of the 24,000 who traveled to Cambodia, 12,000 have not yet returned, while 2,500 out of 4,000 who went to Myanmar on tourist visas remain abroad.

He added that Pakistan was previously among the top five countries for illegal travel to Europe, but effective policies have now removed it from this list. Dubai and Germany have introduced visa-free facilities for Pakistani passport holders.

This year, 8.5 million Pakistanis traveled abroad, while 226 cases were registered against individuals for violations. Additionally, 450 people were arrested in the last three months for attempting illegal travel via the Iran border.