2 FIA immigration officers held for human trafficking

Two officers of FIA immigration were arrested on Friday for being involved in human smuggling.

According to details, five Pakistani students departed for Istanbul and Cyprus via Doha on March 11 through Qatar Airlines who were deported to Pakistan by the immigration officials of Turkey on March 17 because of fake traveling documents.

An FIR against the five students has been registered with anti-human smuggling circle Karachi on the suspicion of violating immigration laws while departmental inquiry against two officers of FIA – Fahim Sheikh and Muhammad Ali Wassan – has been started.

Taking the advantage of the Cyprus visa “on arrival” for Pakistani citizens, groups involved in human smuggling with the help of FIA immigration send Pakistani students to Cyprus on fake degrees of educational institutions of Cyprus from where they easily move to other European countries, sources said.

They said dishonesty of both the FIA immigration officers was clear from the fact that all the five students departed for Cyprus on Qatar Airlines while according to the rules of immigration students must depart through Turkish airline to Cyprus. Several people who select other airlines show fake documents of admission in educational institutions of Cyprus which are provided by the human smugglers. For this purpose smugglers receive Rs 8 to 10 lac and allegedly one part of this amount is paid to immigration officers, they added.

According to the departmental investigations, both the officers of immigration were declared innocent; however, FIA Director Najaf Qili Mirza had directed the anti-smuggling circle Karachi to arrest both the accused for being involved human smuggling. Both the accused were arrested on Thursday and legal action had been initiated against them.