Pakistanis held over fake licenses

Karachi Airport immigration authorities recently stopped two major illegal travel attempts to Saudi Arabia, involving fake documents and false intentions. In the first case, two Pakistani men, Shehbaz and Umar, were caught trying to travel to Saudi Arabia on work visas as drivers. During routine checks, their driving licences were found to be fake. Although the licences appeared to be issued from the Clifton licensing branch, officials confirmed that both individuals had never visited the branch or followed the legal procedure.

The licences were allegedly arranged through an agent for a hefty fee ranging between Rs600,000 and Rs750,000. Despite having genuine protector stamps on their Saudi visas, the use of counterfeit documents led to their arrest. The suspects have been handed over to the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle for further investigation.

In a separate incident, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested a 10-member group disguised as Umrah pilgrims. The group, including seven women, was attempting to travel to Saudi Arabia with the intention to beg rather than perform religious rituals.During questioning, the group failed to answer basic questions about Umrah, revealing their real motive. Immigration officials also found that they had no hotel bookings or adequate funds for their stay, further confirming the plan to beg in the kingdom.

Both cases reflect ongoing efforts by FIA and immigration authorities to curb illegal travel activities and human trafficking. Strict action is being taken against individuals using forged documents or disguises to travel abroad under false pretenses.