LAHORE, Punjab: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ordered all Lahore airport immigration counters to remain operational on August 9 after passengers reported that clearance was taking about 30 minutes.
Naqvi issued the directive during an inspection of Allama Iqbal International Airport. He questioned immigration staff about their procedures and asked passengers about processing times, according to Radio Pakistan.
Passengers requested improved arrangements after describing the time required to complete immigration formalities. Naqvi said keeping every counter operational would reduce unnecessary delays.
A passenger also accused an agent of demanding money. Naqvi referred the complaint to the director of the Federal Investigation Agency and instructed officials to arrest the agent. Authorities had not announced an arrest when the report was published.
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Naqvi directed the Federal Investigation Agency not to permit passengers with incomplete travel documents to leave the country. He said travellers possessing complete and valid documents should not be prevented from boarding.
The minister also called for strict action against people attempting to travel with forged documents. He said technology had made immigration checks easier and more efficient.
A joint meeting of the interior and defence ministries approved modern screening machinery, joint counters and a single-point checking system for Pakistani airports on April 22. Officials also reviewed progress on installing electronic gates, according to an Associated Press of Pakistan report.
