FIA offloaded nearly 39,800 passengers in 2025 to curb human smuggling, official says

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) offloaded 39,786 passengers in 2025 under a “lawful, intelligence-driven and risk-based system” to curb irregular migration and human smuggling, a top official said on Sunday. Speaking to a select group of senior journalists, Immigration Additional Director General Nouman Siddiqui said passenger offloading, often criticised publicly, was primarily a preventive step aimed at saving lives, protecting citizens from exploitation abroad and safeguarding Pakistan’s international image. “Offloading decisions are not arbitrary,” he asserted. They are based on immigration concerns, suspicious travel patterns, document verification, destination-country requirements and established standard operating procedures. The primary objective, he said, was “the protection of human life and prevention of exploitation at the hands of human traffickers”. At least 132 passengers were offloaded from their scheduled flights at various airports across the country in the past year by FIA immigration officers, while 85 of its officials were penalised for misuse of authority during this period, according to a report submitted to the Senate. A National Assembly standing committee was told in December that at least 51,000 passengers were offloaded at airports in 2025 after failing immigration checks, with a lar­ge number of them being offlo­aded at Lahore and Karachi airports. Rising risks and deadly consequences Siddiqui said the crackdown followed multiple tragedies linked to illegal migration routes. Over the past three years, around 460 Pakistanis have fallen victim to such incidents, with at least 377 reported deaths. According to International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) data, 109 Pakistani nationals lost their lives in 2025 alone while attempting irregular migration. He said the issue gained urgency after the June 2023 Greece boat tragedy, in which a large number of Pakistani migrants perished in the Mediterranean Sea. A high-level in