Immigration official dismissed for assaulting passengers

RAWALPINDI: A family of Norwegian nationals who were manhandled by immigration officials at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) two weeks ago and offloaded from a flight to Doha at the Peshawar Airport on Friday were finally allowed to travel back to Oslo on Tuesday, after an official who was found guilty of assaulting the passengers was dismissed from service.

A departmental inquiry launched by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) into the manhandling of passengers by immigration employees found FIA immigration lady constable Ghazala Shaheen guilty, after which she was dismissed from service, FIA Islamabad Director Mazharul Haq told Dawn.

He said inspector Nadeem Akhtar, the shift in-charge at the airport, was found guilty of negligence and giving the inquiry team misleading facts. His case was forwarded to FIA headquarters for further action. Another lady constable, Noshila, who was on counter duty on April 5, was also found guilty but her case has yet to be decided.

“Initially, the issue between the passengers and immigration staff started over tissue paper,” he said.

On Friday, April 21, Khalid Omer, his wife Haseena and their daughters Fauzia and Fatima were offloaded from a flight to Doha at the Peshawar Airport because of what authorities called an immigration issue.

A senior official from the FIA claimed the family was prevented from leaving in order to assist the ongoing investigation into the scuffle at the airport.

Mr Haq confirmed that the family left for Oslo on Tuesday, April 25, from Peshawar Airport.

Ms Khalid and her daughters Fauzia and Fatima were travelling to Oslo/Copenhagen on Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-771 from Islamabad two weeks ago when Ms Khalid and her daughter were physically assaulted by Ms Shaheen.

Video footage of the assault drew public criticism, after which Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ordered an inquiry into the incident.

After the video was circulated, Airport Security Force Director General Maj Gen Sohail Ahmed Khan and the director general aviation also ordered separate inquiries into the incident, both of which have yet to be completed.

Since the FIA launched its inquiry, three immigration officials have been charged with negligence.

The agency completed its inquiry within the seven day deadline and submitted its findings to the concerned authorities.

Sourcedawn