The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken action against more than 100 officials for their alleged collusion with human smugglers following the 2023 Greece boat tragedy, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control was informed on Tuesday.
The tragic incident in June 2023 saw at least 209 people drown when an overloaded boat capsized off the coast of Greece, with hundreds more feared dead or missing.
Briefing the committee, FIA Director General Dr Usman Anwar said 132 enquiries were initiated, resulting in 68 major and 36 minor penalties against officials who failed to follow standard profiling procedures and facilitated illegal migration.
He said the agency had significantly tightened its screening system. In 2026 alone, 22,136 passengers were offloaded after risk-based assessments. He added that deportations involving fake or forged documents dropped sharply from 281 cases in 2024 to just 13 so far in 2026.
Dr Anwar noted that in 2024, a total of 35,459 passengers were offloaded, while deportations reached 68,877. In 2025, 39,786 passengers were offloaded, and 57,560 deportations were recorded.
He said stricter profiling had reduced cases of deportation linked to fake documentation.
International concerns and migration trends
The DG highlighted concerns raised by international partners regarding illegal migration routes, including Mediterranean sea crossings, misuse of study visas in Europe, and illegal border movements.
He said Pakistan remains among the top countries for UK student visa issuance, but around 10,000 individuals misuse these visas by applying for asylum.
He also cited cases involving illegal migration routes through Belarus, Cyprus, Senegal, and Mauritania.
Officials also reported that 24,922 passengers travelled to Cambodia between 2024 and 2026, with 3,312 failing to return, many allegedly linked to scam operations or bonded labor situations.
Similarly, 7,721 passengers did not return from Azerbaijan, with a majority travelling on visit visas.
Policy reforms and technology upgrades
Dr Anwar said the government had issued eight directives through the Prime Minister’s Office to curb human smuggling. A review mechanism has also been introduced for offloaded passengers to ensure transparency and accountability.
He added that the FIA is upgrading its systems with Advanced Passenger Information (API), Passenger Name Record (PNR) data analysis, e-gates at immigration points, and a mobile application (eIMMI) for data collection.
A National Command and Control Centre is also being planned to integrate databases across all entry points.
Officials further informed the committee that more than 57,000 deported individuals are currently listed on the Passport Control List (PCL), which restricts issuance and renewal of travel documents under defined legal procedures.
Minister of State Tallal Chaudhry said strict measures are being enforced to prevent misuse of passports, especially in cases involving repeated loss of travel documents and identity fraud.
Authorities emphasized that stronger screening, digital monitoring, and international cooperation remain central to Pakistan’s efforts to curb human smuggling and illegal migration networks.
