Umrah visa being used for travel to Europe, says FIA

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday offloaded two passengers at Multan International Airport over their alleged involvement in an illegal immigration attempt.

According to an FIA spokesperson, the action was taken by immigration staff at Multan airport during routine screening of outbound passengers.

Noor Islam and Sikandar Alam were scheduled to depart for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. However, initial scrutiny raised suspicions, prompting officials to refer them to secondary screening for detailed profiling.

During further examination, the officials found Moroccan visas affixed to their passports. Upon questioning, both admitted that their actual destination was Spain, rather than Saudi Arabia.

The FIA officials said the development aligns with recent alerts issued by FIA headquarters regarding a growing trend in which travellers attempt to use Umrah visas as a cover to enter Europe illegally via Morocco.

Following the findings, both passengers were offloaded from the flight and shifted to the FIA Composite Circle in Multan for further investigation.

The FIA reiterated its commitment to continuing crackdowns against human smuggling and illegal immigration, warning that strict action would be taken against those attempting to misuse legal travel channels for unlawful purposes.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2026