Several Afghan passengers have accused officials at Islamabad International Airport of extortion, saying they were denied entry into Pakistan despite holding valid visas and airline tickets unless they paid additional fees.
Passengers told Afghanistan International that although they had already paid large sums for Pakistani visas and air tickets, airport officials demanded an extra $150 per person to allow them to leave the airport. Those who refused to pay were sent back to Kabul.
According to the passengers, eight Afghans arrived from Kabul on a flight to Islamabad on Tuesday, December 30. Despite possessing valid documents, they were barred from exiting the airport. The group said each passenger had spent about $1,200 to obtain a Pakistani “medical visa,” while the market price of a non-urgent return ticket to Pakistan is about $500.
They said ticket agents also demanded about $150 per passenger as an “airport pass” to permit exit from the terminal. Because they did not pay this amount, the passengers were held for several hours and ultimately returned to Kabul on Wednesday morning.
The passengers said they arrived at the airport at about 1 p.m. on Tuesday, but officials later declared their medical documents “not genuine” and refused them entry. During their time at the airport, they said they were not allowed to buy food or water.
Passengers said dozens of Afghans holding medical visas are reportedly turned back from Islamabad airport each day after document checks. Those affected alleged that Pakistani officials were engaging in extortion, arguing that only passengers who paid the additional fee were allowed to exit the airport.
They also questioned why the Pakistani embassy in Kabul had issued medical visas if their hospital documents were deemed invalid, a question they said airport officials ignored.
Women and children were among the eight passengers returned to Kabul. One Afghan family of three said they had spent about $5,500 on plane tickets and visas but were still denied entry and sent back.
Other passengers reported that the cost of an urgent Pakistani visa and ticket can reach nearly $2,000. One Afghan man undergoing cancer treatment said he paid $720 for an urgent Kabul–Islamabad ticket to secure a seat within four days, compared with a normal waiting period of at least three weeks. He said he also paid $160 to exit the airport.
A passenger who was returned to Kabul on Wednesday said Pakistani officials treated the group in a “humiliating” manner and dismissed their explanations. He added that many passengers carry similar hospital documents, but only those who pay the so-called airport pass are permitted to enter Pakistan.
The allegations come despite tourist visas for Afghans being officially listed as free of charge on the Pakistani embassy’s website in Kabul. Passengers said, however, that this option is effectively inaccessible, forcing applicants to rely on travel agencies that charge what they described as exorbitant fees.
The Taliban administration has set the official price of a Kabul–Islamabad flight ticket at $140 and has said it will take legal action against violators. Passengers, however, said Taliban authorities are aware of the soaring ticket prices for flights to Pakistan but have taken no effective action.
The flight from Kabul to Islamabad takes about 40 minutes. Passengers said fares on the route now exceed the cost of some flights between Afghanistan and Europe.
