Sharjah authorities have deported five Pakistani nationals after detecting fake United Kingdom visas in their travel documents, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) confirmed on Saturday. The passengers, who attempted to reach the UK through Sharjah, were taken into custody immediately upon landing at Lahore Airport.
FIA Tracks Earlier Travel and Smuggling Links
Investigators found that all five men had previously travelled from Lahore to Malaysia earlier this year on visit visas, a route frequently exploited by human smugglers. According to the FIA, the suspects obtained the forged UK visas through agent networks that specialise in preparing counterfeit documents for illegal migration attempts.
Sharjah immigration officials flagged the documents as fraudulent during checks and deported the passengers to Pakistan. FIA teams then transferred them to the Anti-Human Smuggling Circle in Lahore, where a formal investigation is now underway.
Crackdown Intensifies After AI-Based App Announcement
The deportations follow Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s announcement of a new artificial intelligence-based application designed to curb illegal immigration and detect fake travel documents. The initiative, launched as a pilot project, aims to assist authorities in rapidly screening passengers and identifying forged credentials.
During a meeting on immigration reforms with Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Naqvi stressed that the government would adopt a zero-tolerance approach toward human smuggling networks and document fraud. He said the AI system would help determine “who is fit to travel and who is not,” reinforcing efforts to protect Pakistan’s global reputation.
Ongoing Inquiry Into Smuggling Networks
The FIA is now interrogating the deported individuals to trace the agents involved in preparing the fake visas. Officials say more arrests are expected as part of a broader campaign to disrupt human smuggling operations across the country.
