Two offloaded passengers held after disturbance at Islamabad airport

ISLAMABAD: Two passengers who were stopped during immigration clearance at New Islamabad International Airport were taken into custody after they allegedly created a disturbance, harassed immigration personnel and interfered in official and security work, police said.

According to police, the incident took place at the international departure counter, where Immigration Inspector Briyra Farooq was on duty along with other staff members. Police said the two passengers had arrived at the counter to board a Gulf Air flight bound for Bahrain.

The passengers were identified as Mudassar Iqbal and Haider Ali, both residents of Mirpur. Police said they were offloaded during the immigration process after they were unable to present valid travel documents.

Passengers handed over to airport police

Police said that after the two men failed to produce the required documents, they were taken into custody. The matter escalated when they allegedly caused a disturbance at the airport and harassed immigration staff while also interfering in official and security operations.

Following the incident, both passengers were handed over to airport police, according to the police account.

The police statement cited Immigration Inspector Briyra Farooq as saying that she and other officials were performing duty at the departure counter when the two passengers from Mirpur approached for immigration clearance before their planned travel to Bahrain on a Gulf Air flight.

Police said the passengers were offloaded after they could not provide valid documents required for travel. They were subsequently detained and transferred to airport police custody.

No further details were provided in the police account regarding the nature of the documents the passengers failed to produce. The police statement, however, said the case involved alleged harassment of immigration staff and interference in official and security operations at the airport.

The incident occurred at New Islamabad International Airport during the immigration clearance process for international departures, according to police.