Interior Minister Naqvi orders strict crackdown on visa agents exploiting citizens

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ordered a strict crackdown on visa agents exploiting innocent people, stating that agent mafias who gamble with people’s futures for profit will face zero tolerance.

In a post on X today, the interior minister said he visited the Islamabad Airport and met passengers travelling abroad to hear their concerns directly.

He said he took serious notice of a passenger’s complaint about low staffing at immigration and directed an immediate inquiry with review of CCTV footage.

“No passenger with genuine and complete documents should ever be stopped from travelling but those attempting to travel on fake or unverified documents will not be allowed under any circumstances, as such actions damage Pakistan’s reputation.”

On November 27, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had rejected social media claims alleging arbitrary offloading of passengers, terming the posts “fabricated and misleading” and aimed at creating unnecessary public concern.

In a statement, the agency said it does not offload any passenger whose travel documents are complete and whose purpose of travel is legitimate. It added that safeguarding travellers remains its top priority.

The FIA urged citizens not to trust illegal agents and to ensure they travel with complete and verified documents.

Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain had also directed the FIA to immediately address and resolve the issue of overseas workers being offloaded at airports.

The minister chaired a high-level meeting, which was also attended by Director General FIA Riffat Mukhtar and Secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis Nadeem Aslam Chaudhary and a delegation from the Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association, said a notification by the information ministry.

“Pakistanis going abroad for employment are highly respected by us, and no one will be allowed to unlawfully stop them at airports,” the minister said.

He added that the overseas Pakistanis send foreign remittances to Pakistan, which drives the national economy. The minister instructed the DG FIA that no work visa holder will be offloaded at airports in the future.