Pakistan: Karachi airport immigration officer suspended after alleged harassment of lady passenger

Karachi: An immigration officer deputed at the Karachi Airport has been suspended after a viral video clip implicated him in an alleged incident of harassment against a young woman passenger travelling alone from Bahrain.

Federal Investigation Agency authorities took note of the incident, ordered suspension of the officer, and also initiated departmental penal proceedings against him.

The video clip showed relatives of the lady passenger, who had come to the airport to receive her, questioning the immigration officer on why he asked for her personal contact number.

The officer at the immigration counter had earlier allegedly insisted that the passenger should provide him with her contact number so that he could call her in Bahrain.

The officer responded that he didn’t demand the phone number for any personal contact, but asked for the information as it was the requirement on the immigration form.

The officer also allegedly demanded that the lady passenger give him some sweets. In the video clip, the officer confessed to this demand but added that he said this jokingly.

On coming out of the terminal, the 15-year-old passenger informed her relatives about the alleged harassment incident. The officer had to come out of the terminal building to face the questions of the relatives.

In the video clip the relatives are seen saying that there was no point at all for the immigration officer to jokingly ask for sweets when he didn’t personally know the passenger. After the video went viral on social media, people commented that such officers shouldn’t be deputed at the immigration counters of Pakistani international airports owing to the highly responsible and sensitive nature of the job.

The passenger’s uncle said that his niece was a Bahraini national and a complaint to this effect has been lodged with the Bahrain embassy.