Thailand’s big move to tackle Pakistanis on forged e-visas: Rules tightened, applicants to be blacklisted if...
- Thailand has imposed strict measures on Pakistanis travelling on forged e-Visas. The FIA recently arrested individuals for using counterfeit visas, prompting enhanced monitoring of travellers from 15 countries due to human trafficking concerns.
Thailand has announced stringent measures against Pakistanis travelling on forged documents.
The Thai consulate in Pakistan has instructed applicants for e-visas to submit original documents, including genuine airline tickets and hotel bookings, stated a report by ARY News.
Any applicants or travel agents found submitting forged documents would be blacklisted, and strict measures will be implemented against violators, added the report, citing the Thai consulate's latest statement.
The stringent measures against travellers from Pakistan comes after an incident in October 2024. Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) apprehended two individuals at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport for attempting to travel abroad with counterfeit visas, reported The Nation.
2 Pakistani individuals apprehended
Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) immigration team arrested two passengers including a woman, identified as Nazar Abbas and Umme Salma, who were found to have fake visas affixed to their passports.
As per the FIA spokesperson, the woman suspect was attempting to travel to Iraq on flight number IA-432, carrying a counterfeit Iraqi visa, while Nazar Abbas was bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands on flight TK-709 with a fraudulent Cuban visa, ARY News reported.
FIA issues travel advisory
In addition to the stringent measures, Pakistan's FIA, for the first time in two decades has issued a travel advisory aimed at combating human trafficking.
The FIA Headquarters has sent a letter to Deputy Directors of Immigration across the country, instructing strict monitoring of passengers from 15 countries, nine cities in Pakistan, and two airlines, The Express Tribune reported.
Also Read | Bangladesh eases visa process for Pakistanis
What does the advisory mandate
As per the Pakistan's FIA, the following regions have been identified as transit hubs for human trafficking to Europe:
1.Ethiopia
2.Senega
3.Kenya
4.Russia
5. Saudi Arabia
6. Egypt
7. Libya
8. Iran
9. Mauritania
10.Iraq
11. Turkiye
12. Qatar
13. Kuwait
14. Kyrgyzstan
15. Azerbaijan
The advisory also mandates enhanced monitoring of passengers aged 15-40 travelling on FlyDubai and Ethiopian Airlines.
The movement of passengers with tourist, religious, or educational visas to these countries is being reviewed.
The advisory was prepared based on the analysis of the IBMS database from July to December. According to the advisory, passengers from Mandi Bahauddin, Gujarat, Sialkot, Gujranwala, and Bimber should be closely monitored. Profiling measures for passengers from Jhelum, Toba Tek Singh, Hafizabad, and Sheikhupura should also be enhanced, according to a report by The Express Tribune.
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First Published:22 Jan 2025, 10:55 PM IST
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