RAWALPINDI: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) immigration staff denied boarding to four passengers who were allegedly attempting to travel abroad using fake travel documents at Islamabad International Airport.

An FIA spokesman said the immigration process for passengers travelling on China Southern Airlines flight CZ8070 was underway when officials offloaded four passengers after their work visas were found to be fake.

The passengers were travelling to New Zealand on work visas. They belonged to Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar.

The passengers were later shifted to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Islamabad, for further legal action and to identify the agent who arranged their travel documents.

Meanwhile, the FIA actively participated in a seminar marking International Migrants Day, organised by the Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) Peshawar of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Mardan.

According to an FIA press release, the seminar aimed to raise awareness about safe, orderly and regular migration, and brought together representatives from various institutions and organisations.

Deputy Director (Public Relations), FIA Headquarters Islamabad, Mehmood Ali Khokhar, and Deputy Director FIA Mardan Circle, Riaz Jangtua, represented the agency. They highlighted FIA’s ongoing efforts to curb human smuggling, enhance public awareness, and strengthen inter-agency coordination to promote safe migration practices.

Earlier, MRC Peshawar Coordinator Hameed Ullah Khan delivered the opening remarks and spoke about the role of the Migrant Resource Centre in promoting safe and legal migration.

Assistant Director, Protectorate of Emigrants Peshawar, Sajid Umer, discussed the role of the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE) in facilitating regular migration, while President of the Mardan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zahir Shah, also addressed the participants.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2025