The immigration division of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has removed a family from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi after suspecting an attempt to seek asylum abroad under the pretense of a visit visa, officials reported on Monday.
According to an FIA spokesperson, the family, originating from Bahawalpur, had arrived at the Karachi airport with plans to travel to Sri Lanka.
During the immigration clearance process, they were stopped for additional security checks due to questionable travel details.
Upon thorough questioning, the passengers were unable to provide a simple travel plan.
Officials discovered that they lacked both hotel reservations and adequate financial means to sustain their stay.
During the investigation, a female passenger named Rukhsana disclosed that her husband had been living in Sri Lanka for the last five years and had already secured political asylum under the auspices of the United Nations.
The passengers at Karachi airport could not furnish satisfactory explanations regarding the purpose of their visit and subsequently confessed that their true intention involved an attempt to seek asylum in Sri Lanka.
Authorities indicated that the visit visa was being used to mask their genuine intent.
One of the passengers, Mohsin Nawaz, also admitted to having contacted an agent named Akhtar and paying Rs550,000 per individual for the arrangements.
In light of these revelations, the family was offloaded, and the case has been forwarded to the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle (AHTC) in Karachi.
Further investigations are currently ongoing.
Sindh govt sets new rule in place at Karachi airport
Earlier, the Sindh government imposed restrictions on Karachi airport pick-up and drop-off activities, permitting a maximum of two individuals to accompany each passenger.
This decision was reached during a high-level meeting focused on security threats, which was chaired by the provincial Home Minister.
