Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain took notice of incidents involving workers being offloaded at airports and chaired a high-level meeting. Director General FIA Riffat Mukhtar also attended the meeting. The Federal Minister was briefed on the incidents of workers being offloaded at various airports during the meeting.
While addressing the participants, Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain stated that workers were offloaded at different airports despite having work visas and protector certificates. Pakistanis going abroad for employment are highly respected by us, and no one will be allowed to unlawfully stop workers at airports. Overseas Pakistanis send foreign remittances to Pakistan, which drive the national economy. The Federal Minister directed the DG FIA to immediately resolve the issue of workers being offloaded at airports and instructed that no work visa holder will be offloaded at airports in the future.
Director General FIA Riffat Mukhtar informed that incidents of workers being offloaded were reported at Lahore and Karachi airports, and investigations are underway. If any FIA officials are found involved, strict action will be taken against them. No new conditions have been imposed by the FIA for those traveling abroad on work visas, nor has any new requirement been introduced for obtaining an affidavit from a government officer. A new digital system will soon be introduced, through which workers can complete their immigration online before departure.
Federal Minister Chaudhary Salik Hussain stated that to prevent such incidents in the future, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and FIA officials are preparing SOP's. The meeting was also attended by Secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis Nadeem Aslam Chaudhary and a delegation from the Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association.
