ISLAMABAD: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has imposed Rs nine million fine on different foreign airlines for violating visa rules during last three months.
On the directives of Interior Minister, all foreign airlines have been told not to carry any person to Pakistan who does not have a visa, said a spokesperson of Interior Ministry in a statement.
The airlines fined included Emirates, China Southern, Saudi, Turkish, Thai, Itehad and others.
He said the FIA has also sent a penalty notice to Oman Airlines which brought US citizen without any valid documents to Pakistan.
In the past, a large number of foreigners were allowed to enter Pakistan without obtaining visas and the nationality of such persons was not usually certified. Action against this practice was rarely observed in the past, said the spokesman.
Spokesperson said “due to the criminal negligence of the authorities concerned, the rules and regulations pertaining to Pakistan’s visas were severely violated, while the persons from different nationalities entered Pakistan,”.
The interior minister took notice of the situation and ordered the FIA to take action against such people.
Following the directives of the interior minister, FIA deported dozens of persons on the next available flight who had incomplete travelling documents with them.
Australian cricketer Dean Jones was also denied entry into Pakistan recently, as he had incomplete visa. Famous Indian actress Sharmila Tagore was also stopped by the FIA at Wagah Border on the same grounds. According to the spokesman, these precedents explicitly reveal that everyone is equal in the eyes of the law.
The spokesman said the FIA is implementing the rules and regulations regarding visa procedure and no airline would be spared in this regard.
