The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) conducted extensive enforcement operations at Karachi’s seaports during May 2026, resulting in the collection of Rs7 million in fines that were deposited into the national exchequer, according to an official statement issued by the FIA Karachi Zone on Wednesday.
FIA officials said immigration authorities took action against various violations at both Karachi Sea Port (KSP) and Port Muhammad Bin Qasim (PMBQ) during the month. At Karachi Sea Port, action was taken against 12 crew members and individuals associated with different vessels. Those penalised included three Bangladeshi nationals from MT Al Tarf, two Pakistani and two Filipino crew members from CV Albert-P, one Syrian national from MT Asana, one Myanmar national from Marine Xane, and three Greek superintendents from M.V. Sen Remo. The total fines imposed at Karachi Sea Port amounted to Rs6 million.
Meanwhile, at Port Muhammad Bin Qasim, FIA officials imposed fines totaling Rs1 million on two Indian crew members during an operation aboard the vessel JBU Shelde. According to the FIA, enforcement actions were carried out against six vessels during the reporting period, while a total of 14 crew members and associated individuals were fined. The combined value of penalties imposed at both ports reached Rs7 million.
The FIA spokesperson noted that this was the first time the agency had generated Rs7 million in monthly enforcement penalties through operations at Karachi’s ports. He described the achievement as evidence of the effective implementation of maritime security measures and immigration laws.
The FIA further stated that it would continue strict monitoring and enforcement operations to ensure compliance with immigration regulations and maritime security requirements at the country’s major ports.
Visa scam
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration Karachi on Tuesday uncovered a fake UAE work visa scam and offloaded a passenger attempting to travel to Dubai on a forged residence/work visa.
According to an FIA spokesperson, passenger Syed Zillullah Ehsan-ul-Zaman was stopped during the immigration process after irregularities were detected in his travel documents. The fraud came to light when airline staff were unable to locate the passenger’s ticket details in the airline’s system during the boarding process. The passenger was subsequently referred for further scrutiny, during which the UAE work visa he presented was found to be fake and forged.
During preliminary questioning, the passenger disclosed that he had arranged overseas employment through an agent, Malik Shehbaz Awan, whom he had contacted via social media. The agent was allegedly operating under the name “Malik Overseas” in Joharabad, Khushab.
The passenger told investigators that he had paid Rs380,000 to the agent for obtaining the visa and other travel documents. The payments were reportedly transferred through various JazzCash and bank accounts.
According to the FIA, the passenger maintained that he was unaware the visa was forged and claimed that he had become a victim of visa fraud.
The passenger had been transferred, along with all relevant documents, to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle (AHTC) Karachi for further investigation and legal action.
The FIA stated that it continued to conduct operations against individuals and networks involved in visa fraud, human smuggling, and illegal overseas employment schemes.
