ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain on Thursday took notice of incidents involving overseas Pakistani workers being offloaded at airports across the country despite holding valid work visas, directing the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to resolve the issue and ensure such cases do not occur again.
The situation followed media reports citing a new rule requiring travelers leaving Pakistan for employment abroad to present a sworn affidavit, signed by a senior government official, confirming that they intend to work legally in the destination country and will not attempt illegal migration to a third state.
The measure was reportedly aimed at cracking down on human smuggling and preventing citizens traveling for legitimate work from being diverted to illegal migration. Local media reports said a number of Pakistani workers traveling abroad were offloaded in recent days.
“No one will be allowed to unlawfully stop workers at airports,” Hussain said, adding that overseas Pakistanis send foreign remittances to Pakistan, which drive the national economy, and are “highly respected.”
The FIA chief, Riffat Mukhtar, acknowledged such incidents had been reported at Lahore and Karachi airports, adding that they were under investigation.
