Mustafa Hameed Malik, Director of the Federal Investigation Agency’s Integrated Border Management System, has detailed how Pakistan’s border management framework has evolved and outlined plans for a new e immigration mobile application aimed at cutting waiting times for passengers and speeding up the boarding process.
In a video shared on social media, Malik explained the role and mandate of the Integrated Border Management System, also known as IBMS. He said the system plays a central role in strengthening immigration controls, improving coordination among government bodies, and supporting secure, technology-based border management.
He said the Federal Investigation Agency is installing electronic gates at airports as part of this upgrade. These e-gates will allow eligible travellers to clear immigration on their own by scanning their passports, without going through traditional counters.
Malik said passengers will scan their passports at the e-gates and their data will be entered automatically into the system. He said the process will work without human interaction and will reduce waiting times significantly. According to him, the full immigration clearance will take about 10 seconds.
He also announced that the FIA will soon launch an AI powered e immigration mobile application to help prevent illegal immigration. He said the project reflects the vision of Riffat Mukhtar, who has pushed for the use of artificial intelligence across FIA systems.
Under the proposed system, travellers will download the application on their smartphones and enter their personal and travel details themselves. Malik said FIA systems will then verify the information through official databases, including national identity card and passport records.
He said machine learning tools will be used after verification to automatically generate passenger profiles. This, he added, will strengthen risk assessment and screening at immigration points.
Malik said travellers will also be able to enter their flight number and ticket details in advance. As a result, all required data will already be available in the Integrated Border Management System before they reach the airport, allowing them to skip queues and move smoothly through immigration and boarding.
He added that the FIA Immigration Department’s Risk Assessment Unit creates profiles of high-risk or flight-risk passengers. These are individuals who may try to leave the country through illegal channels such as human smuggling, he said.
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