Two Pakistani Passengers Offloaded at Karachi Airport Over Planned Same-Sex Marriage in Thailand

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration officials offloaded two Pakistani passengers at Karachi Airport who were travelling to Thailand with the stated intention of entering into a same-sex marriage and subsequently registering it in Europe.

According to an FIA spokesperson, the passengers were identified as Shahid, a resident of Muzaffargarh, and Khalil, a resident of Sialkot. Both were travelling to Thailand on Pakistani passports and tourist visas.

During immigration screening, Shahid reportedly told officials that he had lived in Europe for an extended period and intended to travel to Thailand with Khalil to enter into a same-sex marriage, which they planned to register in Europe later.

The FIA spokesperson said Khalil also confirmed the stated purpose of their journey. He told officials that he had met Shahid in 2017 and that the two had remained in contact since then.

According to Khalil’s statement, Shahid had also been providing him with financial assistance of approximately Rs60,000 per month. He further stated that both intended to live together in Europe.

The FIA said further scrutiny was considered necessary regarding the passengers’ stated travel purpose, the nature of their planned visit to Thailand and their possible intention to proceed to Europe afterwards. They were consequently offloaded from their flight.

The agency added that immigration officials examine passengers’ travel documents and stated purposes of travel in accordance with applicable laws and procedures.