ISLAMABAD – Travelling abroad is about to become easier and more transparent for Pakistani passengers as Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) introduced Pre-Departure Facilitation Desk in Karachi and Lahore to help travellers understand documentation requirements before they reach the airport.
The initiative provides passengers with an opportunity to seek guidance on their travel documents and address potential issues in advance. Pakistan has strengthened airport screening to combat human smuggling, trafficking, forged documents and irregular migration. In 2025, FIA screening resulted in around thousands of passengers being offloaded, reflecting the scale of the challenge facing authorities.
At same time, public concerns were raised about passengers being stopped despite having apparently valid travel documents. Complaints also led to disciplinary action against 85 FIA officials, while around 132 complaint-related offloading cases were reported.
The new facilitation desk can help bridge this gap by giving genuine travellers a chance to obtain clear, timely guidance before departure. Instead of discovering documentation problems at the airport, passengers can seek clarification beforehand and travel better prepared.
Passengers appreciated such nitiatives which can help make international travel smoother without last minute stunners.
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