At airports across Pakistan, the tension is palpable. For thousands of travellers holding valid visas and confirmed tickets, a simple trip abroad has become a test of nerves, luck, and bureaucracy. Since early 2025, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has intensified its scrutiny at departure gates, offloading countless passengers moments before boarding. No written order is given, no clear reason is offered—just a quiet instruction to step aside, and dreams of opportunity or spiritual fulfillment are dashed.
This dramatic shift in Pakistan’s migration landscape is rooted in tragedy and political pressure. The catalyst was the Greece boat disaster in December 2024, a calamity that claimed the lives of more than 300 Pakistanis attempting to reach Europe by sea. The images shocked the nation and drew international condemnation, prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to direct law enforcement agencies to dismantle smuggling networks. The FIA, Pakistan’s border security and intelligence agency, was tasked with intercepting suspected illegal migrants before they could depart the country. According to Global Voices, this campaign quickly expanded in scope, ensnaring not only traffickers but also lawful travellers.
The scale of the offloading is striking. Passengers from Lahore, Sialkot, Islamabad, and Karachi report being stopped at the last minute, even after clearing security and immigration. The term “offloading” has entered the public lexicon, describing the abrupt refusal to let a passenger board an international flight. Many of those targeted are young men from the Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, and Narowal districts of Punjab Province—regions known for legal labour migration. Even first-time travellers and those in modest attire face extra scrutiny, while business-class passengers breeze through with fewer questions. The Gujrat Chamber of Commerce and Industry has voiced alarm that its members are being profiled simply because of their home addresses, despite their vital role in generating billions in remittances that support Pakistan’s economy.
In one telling incident on November 23, 2025, nine men at Sialkot Airport were removed from a flight to Djibouti despite having verified visas, paid tickets, and booked accommodations. Their only crime, it seemed, was fitting a profile. As Global Voices reports, the system often treats suspicion as guilt; any registered First Information Report (FIR)—no matter how old or disputed—can result in a traveller being flagged and barred from leaving the country. The courts do not review these decisions in real time, and there is no appeal or written explanation at the airport. Travellers say that the phrase “your name is flagged in the system” is sometimes used as a veiled demand for a bribe.
The consequences are severe. Families heading for Umrah, workers with job contracts in the Gulf, and traders hoping to sign deals abroad have all lost flights, money, and opportunities. Some have taken loans or sold land to finance their journeys, only to return home with cancelled passports and crushing disappointment. The financial and emotional toll is immense. As one migration analyst told Global Voices, “the state can curb trafficking without casting doubt on every legitimate traveller, and any system that makes lawful movement uncertain ultimately weakens public confidence.”
Rumours and confusion have only deepened the anxiety. In late 2025, talk spread that workers seeking to go abroad needed affidavits—signed by an entry-level gazetted civil servant—promising not to seek asylum overseas. Many complied, fearing denial at the airport, yet some were still offloaded or asked for bribes. Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain later denied that such a requirement existed, but the damage was done. Now, workers arrive at airports burdened with unnecessary documents, unsure of what will be demanded next.
Meanwhile, the crackdown’s effectiveness is in question. As Global Voices notes, human trafficking networks have simply shifted tactics, moving people through Balochistan and the Iran land border or using sea routes that bypass airports. The heavy screening at airports has not stemmed the flow of irregular migration; instead, it has made life harder for those who play by the rules. The cost is measured not only in lost flights and jobs but in eroded trust in public institutions.
These internal challenges intersect with international pressures. While Pakistan wrestles with its migration policies, Germany continues its efforts to relocate at-risk Afghans who once worked alongside its armed forces. On December 3, 2025, Germany evacuated 192 Afghan nationals from Islamabad via a chartered flight, according to the German Interior Ministry. Many had been stranded in Pakistan for months, some for over a year, awaiting clearance. The group will be processed at the Friedland transit centre before being resettled across various German states. This follows a similar flight in November 2025 that transferred 52 Afghan refugees.
The urgency of these relocations is underscored by Pakistan’s ongoing crackdown on undocumented Afghan migrants. Islamabad has declared that all Afghans without legal residency will be expelled, despite appeals from human rights groups and international agencies. Thousands of Afghans, including those awaiting resettlement in the West, remain at risk of detention or forced return, complicating evacuation efforts and leaving many in a precarious legal and humanitarian limbo.
Germany, for its part, has offered financial compensation to Afghan applicants willing to withdraw from the relocation programme. Out of roughly 650 people offered, 62 have accepted the compensation, according to German authorities. Negotiations with others are ongoing. The situation highlights the complex interplay between national security, international obligations, and the rights of migrants and refugees.
Back in Pakistan, the debate has moved to the courts. Petitions in Lahore and Sindh challenge the practice of offloading as a violation of constitutional rights—specifically Article 15, which guarantees every citizen the right to leave the country. Lawyers argue that denying exit based on accusation rather than conviction flies in the face of due process. Officials, including Minister Hussain and FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar, have promised reforms: written explanations for denied boarding and mechanisms for swift appeal. But as of early December 2025, public trust remains low.
The stakes are high. Pakistan’s overseas workers sent home nearly USD 30 billion in 2024 and 2025, making them the nation’s economic lifeline. Protecting their rights and ensuring fair, transparent procedures at airports is not just a matter of dignity—it’s essential for the country’s future. Strength in migration policy, as many now argue, comes not from suspicion and profiling, but from intelligence-driven policing, clear rules, and a respect for the law. Until those principles are restored, the uncertainty at Pakistan’s airports will continue to cast a shadow over the hopes of millions.
