Why Pakistan offloaded nearly 40,000 passengers in 2025

Dubai: Pakistan’s immigration authorities stopped nearly 40,000 passengers from boarding international flights in 2025 as part of a sweeping crackdown on human smuggling and irregular migration, officials said, defending the controversial practice as a life-saving measure rather than a punitive one.

Speaking to a select group of senior journalists in Islamabad, Immigration Additional Director General Nouman Siddiqui said 39,786 passengers were offloaded under a “lawful, intelligence-driven and risk-based system”, according to Dawn.

“Offloading decisions are not arbitrary,” Siddiqui said, adding that immigration officers rely on suspicious travel patterns, document verification, destination-country requirements and established procedures when assessing passengers.

The crackdown follows a series of deadly migration tragedies that have claimed hundreds of Pakistani lives. According to FIA data, around 460 Pakistanis have been caught up in irregular migration incidents over the past three years, with at least 377 deaths reported.

Data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) shows that 109 Pakistanis died in 2025 alone while attempting illegal migration.

Officials said the issue gained urgency after the June 2023 Greece boat disaster, in which dozens of Pakistanis were among those who perished while attempting to reach Europe.

A high-level inquiry committee subsequently recommended tougher enforcement measures, many of which are now being implemented.

To dismantle smuggling networks, the FIA has registered 2,421 cases since December 2024 and arrested 3,130 suspected agents. Authorities have seized property worth Rs961.7 million, recovered Rs87.7 million and frozen bank accounts containing Rs239.6 million.

Siddiqui said many passengers were intercepted while attempting to travel through suspicious routes linked to fake overseas job offers, forged documents, fraudulent sponsorship arrangements and trafficking networks.

The FIA’s Risk Analysis Unit has developed five risk profiles to help officers identify potentially vulnerable or suspicious travellers. According to the agency, these measures have contributed to a 75 per cent reduction in deportations related to beggary and a 31 per cent decline in deportations linked to document forgery.

Overall deportations of Pakistani nationals from foreign countries fell by 16 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year. The agency also cited Frontex data showing a 64 per cent drop in illegal border crossings into Europe by Pakistani nationals during the first two months of the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Besides the passengers stopped by FIA, another 34,688 people were unable to travel due to non-immigration reasons, including airline disruptions, flight cancellations, weather conditions or actions by other law-enforcement agencies.

The FIA has established pre-departure facilitation desks and a 24-hour helpline to assist genuine travellers. Officials say new legislation and coordinated reforms are also being prepared to strengthen immigration controls while ensuring legitimate passengers can travel without unnecessary delays.

“Our goal is to strike a balance — to facilitate genuine travellers while preventing human smuggling, trafficking and the tragic loss of Pakistani lives,” Siddiqui said.