The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has revealed that around 10,000 Pakistanis who travelled to the United Kingdom on student visas later applied for political asylum, highlighting concerns over irregular migration from the country.
The disclosure was made by FIA Director General Dr. Usman Anwar during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior chaired by MNA Raja Khurram Nawaz.
Anwar said illegal migration was damaging Pakistan’s reputation internationally, adding that several countries, including members of the European Union, had raised concerns with Islamabad. He informed the committee that 580 Pakistanis who travelled to Belarus and 7,000 who went to Azerbaijan on visit visas had not returned. He also said 175 Pakistani nationals had been repatriated from Libya.
According to the FIA chief, a new human trafficking route through Malaysia and Uzbekistan has emerged. He said 39,786 people attempting to travel abroad without valid documents were offloaded in 2025, while more than 3,000 others were stopped from travelling due to stop lists and Interpol alerts.
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the committee that illegal immigration from Pakistan had declined by 47 percent, a reduction he said had been acknowledged by both Europe and the United States.
