ISLAMABAD: The government is aggressively working on the establishment of a new Passports and Border Control Authority (PBCA), which will assume all duties associated with immigration and border security under a single command, despite a setback last year and the ongoing rightsizing process.
According to an official plan that Dawn saw, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) should cut back on parts of its operations, especially those related to the Immigration Wing, and take over all of the duties of the current Directorate General of Immigration & Passports under improved leadership.
Although the groundwork had been finished, including the finalization of the bill for its establishment, an attempt to establish a similar “Pakistan Immigration, Passports and Visa Authority” (PIPVA) was abandoned last year, allegedly due to opposition from police officers who have more representation in the FIA.
Recent incidents of human trafficking, which have resulted in numerous fatalities under terrible circumstances, as well as an increase in the number of unwelcome border crossings by people from Iran, Afghanistan, and India, have not only brought the movement back to life but also elevated it to the status of a national security concern.
Approximately 16–18 entry and exit locations require even more monitoring, according to informed sources, even though the military and some civil law enforcement organizations normally patrol more than 1,000 km of coastlines and 7,500 km of borders with neighboring nations.
According to an official, the last two attempts to establish the new body were blocked since they were primarily concerned with passport-related issues. However, the idea has recently changed to include issues of human trafficking, smuggling of goods, and national security.
According to the plan, inefficiency, corruption, and the exploitation of vulnerable migrants result from the FIA’s current oversight of both immigration functions and white-collar crime investigations.
According to the source, “this has tragically contributed to the loss of many Pakistani lives due to illegal immigration attempts.”
In light of the urgency, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is anticipated to play a key role in advancing the reform required to get past administrative hold-ups and guarantee the prompt adoption of significant adjustments to safeguard residents.
The proposal’s main goal is to give the FIA more freedom to concentrate on looking into money laundering and white-collar crime while establishing an upgraded and independent authority to oversee immigration and border security, as is the case in many other nations.
The claim is that in order to guarantee efficiency, a number of regional nations, including Bangladesh, India, Iran, China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Turkey, have implemented comparable systems.
For instance, the CBI deals with white-collar crimes, while India’s Bureau of Immigration handles immigration. Bangladesh keeps the anti-corruption commission apart from passport and immigration regulations.
In Iran, financial crimes are handled by the Economic Crimes Police, whereas immigration and passport police are in charge of immigration. Similar to Turkey, where the Directorate General of Migration Management is in charge of immigration and the Financial Crimes Investigation Board is in charge of money laundering and financial crimes, China has its own National Immigration Administration.
“The current system, which combines law enforcement with immigration, is corruptible and ineffectual. According to the plan, a distinct PBCA would improve border security, lessen human trafficking, and stop more tragedies.
The competent authorities are aiming to enact the measure for legislative coverage within a month in order to guarantee prompt implementation.
The idea recommends designating a grade-22 civil service officer to head the authority and at least three grade-21 officials for the central, southern, and northern borders in order to address issues with the bureaucracy.
At all entry-exit locations, there would also be a number of (at least six) grade-20 director-level police officials. Three brigadier commanders would be in direct command of the borders with Afghanistan, Iran, China, and India, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. To guarantee operational effectiveness, each director would be assisted by staff members with prior administrative or military service.
It is anticipated that the authority will be operational within six months after the law, with a shift of force from the FIA taking place within two months.