Pakistan resumes domestic flights as lockdown eases

A general view of the health and passport control area during a media tour of the newly built Islamabad International Airport, ahead of its official opening, Pakistan April 18, 2018. (REUTERS/ File Photo)
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Updated 16 May 2020
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Pakistan resumes domestic flights as lockdown eases

  • Domestic flights to resume at Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar airports
  • Strict SOPs in place to ensure the safety of passengers and aircrew

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday extended the suspension of international flight operations until the end of May, while it allowed a partial resumption of domestic flights from Saturday.
“The suspension of international flight operations as effected earlier has been extended up to Sunday, May 31, 2020 at 23:59 hours PST. Remaining provisions as applicable to the suspension of international flights reflected in previous orders remain unchanged,” the Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said in a statement.
International travel has been banned since March 21, as a measure to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Meanwhile, domestic flights will resume at five major airports on Saturday, PCAA announced.
The decision comes as the country has started to reboot economic activity and ease coronavirus restrictions on businesses.
PCAA said in a Twitter post that the Aviation Division has strict standard operating procedures to ensure the safety of passengers and aircrew, including disinfection of aircraft, at least one vacant seat between the passengers, compulsory face masks and use of hand sanitizer.

Passengers will undergo thermal scanning prior to departure and upon arrival in their destination cities.
The five airports are Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Islamabad International Airport (IIAP), Quetta International Airport, and Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar.


Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling

Updated 14 December 2025
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Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling

  • Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
  • Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network. 

The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia. 

Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said. 

“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said. 

The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone. 

It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.

“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said. 

“Further investigation is underway.”

Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean. 

Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.

Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.