FIA DG informs NA panel: 10,000 Pakistanis used student visas to seek asylum in UK

ISLAMABAD: The Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Dr Usman Anwar on Tuesday informed a parliamentary panel that around 10,000 Pakistanis travelled to the United Kingdom on student visas and later sought political asylum.

The DG, FIA, stated this while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior, which met here with MNA Raja Khurram Nawaz in the chair. The DG FIA briefed the Committee on the policy governing the non-issuance of third and subsequent passports, allegations regarding the misuse of discretionary powers by the FIA and Immigration authorities in offloading passengers without valid justification, and the grounds and procedures for declaring overseas Pakistanis as blacklisted upon their arrival in Pakistan.

Through a detailed presentation, he informed the Committee that passenger offloading constitutes an important component of Pakistan’s strategy to combat illegal migration, human trafficking, and visa misuse. The Committee was informed that FIA had established a Risk Analysis Unit and was utilizing targeted screening mechanisms, advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence tools, and the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) to identify high-risk travelers and prevent illegal migration.

Members expressed concern over reports that bona fide travelers possessing valid visas, residence permits, and other lawful travel documents had been offloaded despite meeting legal travel requirements. Minister of State for Interior and Narcotics Control Talal Chaudhry informed the Committee that the profiling system was largely based on objective and automated criteria and that further software-based improvements were being introduced to enhance transparency and reduce human discretion. The Committee also discussed the policy relating to the issuance of third and subsequent passports and was informed that such applications are subject to enhanced scrutiny in order to prevent identity misuse and document fraud.

The Committee considered The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (Government Bill). Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar briefed the Committee on the proposed amendments and emphasized that while many provisions of the existing law remain relevant, procedural laws must be periodically updated to keep pace with technological developments and modern investigative practices. He stated that the objective of the reforms was to improve criminal investigations, strengthen prosecutions, enhance conviction rates, and ensure adequate protection of the rights of both victims and accused persons. The Minister requested the Committee to allocate dedicated sessions for a clause-by-clause review of the Bill. Members supported the proposal and agreed that detailed deliberations should be undertaken during the budget session. Consequently, the Committee deferred consideration of the Bill and recommended that a series of meetings be held from 16 to 18 June 2026 to examine the amendments in phases and allow Members sufficient opportunity to review each provision and submit recommendations.

The Secretary, Interior and Narcotics Control Division, informed the Committee that the funds allocated for ongoing development schemes would not lapse, as the relevant summary had already been moved. The Committee also noted that contracts for the construction of six roads in Islamabad, with two roads allocated to each constituency, had already been awarded and tenders finalized. However, the projects remained incomplete, causing inconvenience to the public. The Committee recommended that the construction of these roads be expedited and completed at the earliest.

The representative of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) briefed the Committee on a matter raised by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in the Committee’s meeting held on 20 May 2026 concerning a viral video in which an individual identified as Anmol alias “Pinky” allegedly mentioned the name of the former Prime Minister and MNA. The Committee had previously directed that detailed reports be obtained from the Inspectors General of Police of Punjab and Sindh. Upon receipt and examination of the reports, the Committee was informed that the media allegations regarding the involvement of Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in the matter were entirely baseless.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026