The Lahore High Court has ruled that immigration officials cannot restrain or offload passengers on verbal instructions alone. The court declared the practice a violation of fundamental rights.
The decision places a clear legal check on the Federal Investigation Agency. It comes days after the FIA disclosed that it offloaded more than 66,000 travellers in 2025.
Justice Ali Zia Bajwa issued the ruling while presiding over the Multan Bench. In a two-page interim order, he said written reasons for travel restrictions serve as a core legal safeguard, not a procedural formality. During the hearing, the court asked the state’s law officer to explain the grounds for offloading the petitioner. The officer conceded that no written justification existed.
Justice Bajwa stressed that transparency and legal accountability depend on proper documentation. He noted that any restriction on personal liberty must rest on a clear legal basis. The court ordered authorities to provide the petitioner with written reasons before the next hearing.
Read: 51,000 Passengers Offloaded at Airports After Failed Immigration Checks: FIA
FIA Offloading Data Under Scrutiny
The ruling follows an aggressive enforcement campaign at airports. Earlier this week, FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar briefed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis.
He told lawmakers that the FIA offloaded 66,154 passengers during 2025.
According to the breakdown, officials stopped approximately 51,000 travellers for questionable or incomplete documentation. These cases involved work, tourist, and Umrah visas. The FIA chief linked the stricter checks to external pressure. He cited the deportation of more than 56,000 Pakistani beggars from Saudi Arabia as a key trigger.
He also told the committee that the United Arab Emirates had imposed visa restrictions. At the same time, authorities detected rising illegal migration routes to Africa, Cambodia, and Thailand.
The court’s ruling now requires the FIA to balance enforcement with due process and written accountability.
