FIA punishes over 100 officials for human smuggling links post-Greece tragedy

Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken disciplinary action against more than 100 officials suspected of collaborating with human smugglers, following the tragic 2023 Greece boat disaster. The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control was informed on Tuesday that 132 inquiries led to 68 major and 36 minor penalties for officers who failed to adhere to standard profiling mechanisms, thereby facilitating illegal migration.

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In 2024, a total of 35,459 passengers were offloaded, whereas deportations neared 68,877. In 2025, 39,786 were offloaded and deportations fell to 57,560. Due to strict profiling, deportation on fake documents has declined sharply.

FIA Director General Dr. Usman Anwar highlighted a decrease in deportations and cases involving fraudulent documents. He noted that 22,136 passengers were offloaded in 2026 after strict risk-based assessments. Cases of deportation using fake documents dropped from 281 in 2024 to just three so far in 2026. The DG also provided figures for passenger offloads and deportations across recent years, indicating a trend of decline in fraudulent document cases due to stringent profiling.

International partners have expressed significant concerns regarding various issues, including Mediterranean boat tragedies during smuggling attempts, illegal border crossings into the EU, and the misuse of student visas in the UK and Cyprus. Dr. Anwar mentioned that Pakistan is the third-largest recipient of UK student visas, but approximately 10,000 individuals misuse these visas by filing asylum claims. He also noted that eight UK universities have restricted student visa sponsorships for Bangladeshi students, and the UK has imposed visa restrictions on several countries citing study visa abuse.

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Pakistan is the 3rd largest student visa-receiving country of the UK, but around 10,000 misuse visas through asylum claims.

Concerns were also raised by high-level EU delegations about illegal migration, including crossings from Belarus into Poland, with 580 Pakistanis reportedly not returning from Belarus. The report details how passengers traveling on study visas to Cyprus often reroute to enter the EU, and routes through Senegal and Mauritania are used to reach Spain’s Canary Islands. Other challenges include begging in GCC countries and stranded Pakistanis in Cambodia and Azerbaijan, many of whom were reportedly working in scam operations or subjected to bonded labor after traveling on visit or tourist visas.

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Screening was the only way to prevent illegal migration, and a free-for-all cannot be allowed.