The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has rejected widespread rumours circulating on social media claiming that passengers were being offloaded from flights at Lahore airport. In a statement on Thursday, FIA Lahore Zone Director Captain (retd) Ali Zia clarified that no passengers with valid and complete documents were being stopped by immigration authorities.
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He said the agency only intervenes in cases where passengers attempt to travel abroad with incomplete or suspicious documents. “No passenger is being offloaded at Lahore airport. Even immigration authorities cannot stop you with legal documents,” the director said, stressing that misinformation was creating unnecessary panic among travellers.
Ali Zia warned that fake news was being deliberately spread online to mislead the public. He said passengers attempting to travel through illegal routes are stopped after thorough profiling. “Some passengers use women as shields to flee abroad, while others carry documents from fake companies,” he revealed, urging the public not to fall for baseless rumours.
Passengers in Pakistan are being offloaded from flights more frequently — here’s why.#FIA #PakistanAirport #TOKReports pic.twitter.com/6JXDp18awh
— Times of Karachi (@TOKCityOfLights) November 26, 2025
The clarification comes amid a government crackdown on human smuggling following several tragic boat capsizing incidents in which Pakistani migrants lost their lives while attempting illegal sea crossings. Authorities have intensified checks at airports and borders to prevent people from travelling abroad through unlawful channels.
In a separate development, Lahore’s Jamia Naeemia issued a religious decree declaring illegal foreign travel as unlawful and contrary to Shariah. The edict, issued by Dr Mufti Raghib Hussain Naeemi and Mufti Imran Hanfi, also forbids agents from taking money to facilitate such travel and urges the government to take legal action against those endangering citizens.
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The growing concern over illegal migration comes as Pakistanis have become the top nationality among asylum applicants in the United Kingdom for 2024–25. According to the UK Home Office, 11,048 Pakistanis applied for asylum in the last year, accounting for 10.1% of total applicants. In 2023–24, Pakistan ranked third with 7,003 asylum applications.