258 Pakistanis deported from seven countries, 16 arrested in Karachi
35 passengers offloaded for incomplete travel documents at Karachi airport.
Saudi deportees include 27 without kafeels and 112 sponsor complaints.
FIA advises passengers to ensure visas, bookings, and funds before travel.
KARACHI: As many as 258 Pakistanis were deported from seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and China in the last 24 hours.
Among them, 14 had Pakistani passports, while 244 were deported on emergency travel documents.
Immigration officials said that upon their arrival in Karachi, 16 deportees, including one with a suspicious identity, were arrested, while the rest were released after questioning.
Those deported by Saudi Arabia numbered 232, including seven beggars. They were repatriated via various flights. Two individuals were caught performing Hajj without permits and sent back after they had completed their sentences.
Another four Pakistanis had overstayed their Umrah visas, 27 were working without sponsorship (kafeel), 16 stayed beyond the validity of their visas, 112 were deported due to complaints from their sponsors, and 63 faced other charges.
The UAE deported 21, including four involved in drug trafficking. One individual each was deported from China, Qatar, Indonesia, Cyprus, and Nigeria.
Among the deportees from the UAE and Nigeria, 16 individuals were listed on the FIA’s immigration stop list but were released after interrogation.
The trend of deportations has been rising significantly, the immigration sources noted.
In the past 24 hours, the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Immigration Cell also offloaded 35 passengers at the Karachi airport who were traveling to various countries.
Passengers bound for Saudi Arabia on an Umrah visa were offloaded due to a lack of advance hotel bookings and insufficient funds for expenses.
Passengers who wanted to proceed to Saudi Arabia on a work visa were offloaded for not having proper work visa documents.
Meanwhile, air passengers who wanted to go to the UAE on a tourism visa were offloaded due to insufficient advance hotel bookings and inadequate funds.
Another passenger was stopped due to the absence of a visa protector stamp and other required documents. He wanted to go to Malaysia on a temporary employment permit.
The authorities emphasised that passengers must ensure they have complete documentation, proper visas, advance bookings, and sufficient funds to avoid such incidents.