Claim: People holding passports issued from Punjab are banned from travelling via Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.
Fact: The claim is false. However, the FIA has imposed additional security measures to prevent “human trafficking” and “exploitation”, as well as to stop “agent mafias” from deceiving people.
On 5 November 2025, Instagram account @ebuzztoday posted (archive) a visual stating, “New policy: Punjab passport-holders can’t travel abroad via Karachi”.
The caption accompanying the Instagram post reads as follows:
“In a surprising move, passengers holding passports issued from #Punjab have been barred from traveling abroad for the first time from #Karachi Airport, sources revealed on Wednesday. According to reports, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has quietly implemented an unannounced travel policy, resulting in the offloading of several passengers over the past two days. FIA officers have also been instructed to submit detailed reports of all offloaded passengers twice daily—morning and evening—to higher authorities.”
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check scoured the social media accounts of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and found that it had issued a clarification the same day.
In the statement (archive) posted on Facebook on 5 November under the title “Clarification Regarding Misperception About Restriction on Passengers from Punjab at Karachi Airport,” the FIA said the claims stating that people from “Punjab are being restricted from traveling by the Immigration staff at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi”, was “misleading”.
“FIA Immigration Karachi strongly denies these claims and considers them baseless, misleading, and contrary to the facts and clarifies that no such restriction exists. Passengers and families from all provinces, including Punjab, are traveling through Karachi Airport without any hindrance,” it said.
The law enforcement agency said it has employed “enhanced scrutiny”, including immigration checks and passenger profiling, in specific cases only.
“It is further clarified that due to increasing risks of human smuggling and exploitation by agents, especially during these months when overseas travel increases, enhanced scrutiny (immigration checks and profiling) have been made more effective only in specific cases, such as first-time travelers or individuals suspected of being victims of human trafficking or exploitation.
“This is a necessary step to protect innocent citizens from falling prey to agent mafias who deceive vulnerable individuals with false promises of overseas employment or better opportunities. These preventive measures are taken purely in the interest of public safety and national responsibility, without any bias or discrimination.
“These are only applied to individuals traveling abroad for the first time who have chosen Karachi Airport instead of their nearby airport. Such passengers are asked why they chose to travel from Karachi. Those who provide satisfactory explanations and proper documentation will not face any inconvenience,” it added.
On the other hand, journalist Tariq Abul Hasan reported that airlines were allegedly “refusing to let passengers enter planes after issuing boarding cards to avoid legal action” and that the FIA was purportedly “returning passengers without putting an offloading stamp on their passports”.
“Therefore, such passengers cannot approach any courts. Moreover, offloading after issuing boarding cards is causing financial losses to many passengers because it is being said that they need to refund their tickets before a flight is closed but there’s not enough time, leading to tickets being wasted,” he claimed.
Hasan also explained that the FIA apparently did not run a public awareness campaign or make any announcement about the enhanced security measures in question, leading to the confusion.
Separately, some media reports claimed quoting sources that “57 passengers were offloaded from Saudi Airlines flight SV-709, including 35 Umrah pilgrims and 22 workers traveling on employment visas” and that “immigration officials refused to stamp their passports”.
Soch Fact Check, therefore, concludes that the claim about a ban being imposed on passengers from Punjab travelling via the Karachi Airport is false. However, the FIA says enhanced security measures have been put in place to prevent “human trafficking” and “exploitation”, as well as stop “agent mafias” from deceiving people.
Virality
Soch Fact Check found the claim circulating here, here, here, here, and here on Instagram.
It was also shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook.
The claim was also reported by ARY News here, here, and here, SAMAA TV, Aik News HD, and The Truth International.
Conclusion: The claim is false. However, the FIA has imposed additional security measures to prevent “human trafficking” and “exploitation”, as well as stop “agent mafias” from deceiving people.
Background image in cover photo: Wikimedia Commons
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