Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain has taken notice of incidents involving Pakistani workers being off-loaded at airports despite holding valid work visas, directing the authorities to ensure such practices are immediately stopped.
The minister chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday, which was attended by Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Rifaat Mukhtar. The FIA chief briefed the minister on recent complaints of workers being off-loaded at different airports in the country.
Chaudhry Salik Hussain expressed concern over the treatment of outbound workers, saying Pakistanis travelling abroad for employment are highly respectable and contribute significantly to the national economy through remittances. He stressed that no authority would be allowed to unlawfully stop workers at airports. The minister instructed the FIA to resolve the issue promptly and issued clear directions that no work-visa holder should be off-loaded in the future.
DG FIA Rifaat Mukhtar informed the meeting that incidents of workers being off-loaded were reported at Lahore and Karachi airports and inquiries were under way. He assured that strict action would be taken if FIA personnel were found involved. He clarified that no new conditions had been imposed by the FIA for those travelling abroad on work visas, nor had any requirement been introduced for attestation or affidavits from government officers. He added that a new digital system would soon be launched to enable workers to complete immigration procedures online prior to departure.
The minister said that the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and the FIA were working on standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure such incidents do not recur. The meeting was also attended by Secretary Overseas Pakistanis Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry and a delegation of the Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association (POEPA).
