At airports, on the high seas, and deep in the heart of South Asia, the battle over migration and border security has reached a fever pitch in late 2025. In Pakistan, India, and Myanmar, a wave of crackdowns, rescues, and deportations is reshaping the journeys—and the lives—of thousands. Whether seeking honest work abroad, fleeing hardship, or falling prey to fraud, migrants now face unprecedented scrutiny and uncertainty.
In Pakistan, the familiar ritual of packing a suitcase and heading for the airport has become fraught with anxiety. According to Global Voices, since early 2025, thousands of Pakistani citizens with valid visas have been stopped at airports by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) immigration officers, often just moments before boarding international flights. The practice, known locally as "offloading," has become a dreaded term in cities such as Lahore, Sialkot, Islamabad, and Karachi. No written orders are issued, and explanations are rare. Instead, travelers with confirmed tickets and legitimate documents find themselves sent home, their journeys abruptly canceled, and their passports stamped with a mark of disappointment.
The scale of these offloadings is staggering. Families bound for Umrah in Saudi Arabia, workers with job contracts in the Gulf, and small traders seeking international partners have all been caught in the dragnet. The crackdown’s roots trace back to the Greece boat tragedy of December 2024, when more than 300 Pakistanis perished attempting to reach Europe by sea. The tragedy shocked the nation and drew harsh international criticism. In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed agencies to dismantle smuggling networks, and the FIA was tasked with intercepting suspected illegal migrants before departure. Pressure from Gulf countries, especially the UAE, further fueled the campaign, as destination states demanded tighter controls against undocumented workers.
What began as a targeted measure soon expanded into a blanket policy, ensnaring both traffickers and ordinary travelers. Profiling has become rampant. Young men from Punjab’s Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, or Narowal districts draw extra attention. First-time travelers face aggressive questioning. Even clothing—simple versus business attire—can trigger suspicion. Indirect flight paths, even when they match the visa holder’s destination, are seen as red flags. When an immigration officer feels uncertain, the passenger is removed, sometimes with nothing more than a vague statement that their name is "flagged in the system." According to Global Voices, this phrase is sometimes used as a veiled request for bribes.
The consequences are severe. On November 23, 2025, nine men at Sialkot Airport were removed from a flight to Djibouti, despite having verified visas and paid tickets. They returned home with nothing but financial losses and dashed hopes. The burden of suspicion has settled heavily on the Gujrat and Sialkot regions, areas known for legal labor migration and significant contributions to Pakistan’s foreign remittances—nearly USD 30 billion in 2024 and 2025. The Gujrat Chamber of Commerce and Industry has raised concerns about profiling based on home addresses, warning that entire districts feel unfairly targeted.
The system’s flaws are laid bare by its treatment of suspicion as guilt. Any registered First Information Report (FIR), even if it’s old or disputed, can bar a traveler from leaving the country. There’s no real-time court review—just an officer’s word. Rumors of new paperwork requirements in late 2025 only added to the confusion. Some travelers were told to obtain affidavits from civil servants swearing they would not seek asylum abroad. Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain later denied such a rule existed, but the damage was done. Workers now arrive at airports with bundles of unnecessary documents, distrustful of the information they receive.
The financial and emotional toll is immense. A worker bound for Saudi Arabia may lose a family’s entire savings. A trader may miss a crucial business deal. Families traveling for Umrah may forfeit hotel and transport bookings. Many have taken loans or sold land to fund these journeys, only to be turned away at the last moment. The question looms: has this heavy-handed screening reduced human trafficking? According to Global Voices, there’s little evidence it has. Smuggling networks have simply shifted to land and sea routes, bypassing major airports altogether. Meanwhile, lawful travelers pay the price in lost flights, jobs, and trust.
Pakistan’s government has promised reforms. Both Minister Hussain and FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar have spoken of new guidelines to prevent abuse of power. Yet, as legal petitions in Lahore and Sindh courts argue, the practice of offloading without due process may violate Article 15 of Pakistan’s Constitution—the right to leave the country. Lawyers contend that denying exit based on accusation, rather than conviction, undermines the law’s spirit. "The state can curb trafficking without casting doubt on every legitimate traveller, and any system that makes lawful movement uncertain ultimately weakens public confidence," a migration analyst told Global Voices.
Across the border, the story is no less dramatic. In early December 2025, Myanmar’s military cracked down on online fraud centers, rescuing hundreds of foreign nationals—including 38 Pakistanis. As reported by local media and confirmed by the Thai government, the 38 were rescued by the Thai Army after crossing into Myanmar and transferred to the Bangkok Immigration Center. They will be deported in phases, and Thai authorities have requested Pakistan to place their names on the Exit Control List (ECL) for five years. Another 60 Pakistanis remain in a shelter in Myanmar after escaping similar fraud centers.
According to FIA officials, Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia have become hubs for online fraud. Illegal call centers lure young people with fake job offers, bring them in on work visas, and then detain them—often forcing them to participate in cybercrimes such as romance scams and investment fraud. Myanmar’s border regions, especially complexes like KK Park, are notorious for harboring such operations. The FIA has warned Pakistanis not to fall for these scams, but the allure of overseas work remains strong for many.
India, too, is tightening its borders. By December 3, 2025, the Odisha government had repatriated 49 Bangladeshi nationals found residing illegally in the state, according to a written statement by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Out of 51 identified illegal residents, two remain under criminal proceedings for using forged passports. The crackdown, part of a broader push following the formation of the BJP-led government, has seen the creation of a dedicated task committee, enhanced surveillance, and the use of a mobile application for real-time identification and tracking of suspected infiltrators. Odisha operates 18 district-level and two state-level detention centers to process such cases, and coordination with national agencies like the Border Security Force and Intelligence Bureau has been strengthened.
On November 22, 2025, Jagatsinghpur Police arrested Sikandar Alam and his brother, accused of running a network that sheltered illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators. The state has also ramped up maritime security, deploying coastal police stations, hovercrafts, fast interceptor boats, all-terrain vehicles, and high-speed rescue boats. Large-scale exercises such as Operation Sajag and Sagar Kavach are now routine, testing the preparedness of marine police and the Indian Coast Guard. For the fiscal year 2025–26, Odisha has earmarked more than ₹26 crore for coastal security.
From Pakistan’s airports to Myanmar’s borderlands and India’s coastal villages, the struggle over migration, trafficking, and border integrity is reshaping policies—and lives—across South Asia. As governments double down on enforcement, the challenge will be to protect national security without trampling the rights and hopes of those simply seeking a better future.