ISLAMABAD: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) formally handed over border management equipment and transport vehicles to Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) at a ceremony held at FIA Headquarters in Islamabad, marking the completion of a four-year, Japan-funded project to strengthen the country’s border management capacity.
Those who attended the ceremony includes the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, H.E. Akamatsu Shuichi; the Chief of Mission of IOM Pakistan, Mio Sato; the Director General of FIA, Dr Usman Anwar; and representatives of the Embassy of Japan, IOM and FIA.
The handover forms part of IOM’s wider support to the Government of Pakistan in strengthening migration governance, facilitating safe, regular and orderly migration, and enhancing protection-sensitive responses to human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
Equipment Reaches 21 FIA Points Nationwide
The equipment delivered includes biometric, IT, security, surveillance, communication and solar systems, reaching 21 FIA operational points across the country. It includes systems supporting FIA’s National Command and Control Centre (NC3) at Headquarters, established to strengthen coordinated, intelligence-led responses to transnational crime, including human trafficking, migrant smuggling and cybercrime. IOM also handed over three dedicated transport vans, to be deployed at the international airports in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore, to support the safe and dignified handling of returning migrants at the country’s busiest points of entry.
The equipment handover was complemented by investment in institutional capacity, including the refurbishment of the FIA Training Academy, completed in March 2026. With upgraded IT infrastructure, enhanced security systems and renovated training facilities, the Academy — which trains an average of 1,000 officers annually — now offers a modernised learning environment for new recruits and in-service officers alike.
Over 150 Officials Trained
The project also delivered sustained capacity-building activities, training more than 150 FIA officials in rights- and gender-based approaches to border management, investigation techniques, and document and biometric verification. It built a sustainable pool of FIA master trainers, including women, now equipped to independently build capacity within the institution. The initiative further strengthened FIA’s protection-sensitive response to trafficking and smuggling, reaching over 200 participants — including FIA officials, provincial police and civil society representatives — through training on victim identification, screening and referral, with women making up more than half of the participants.
Officials React
Dr Usman Anwar, Director General of FIA, said the partnership demonstrated the importance of sustained international cooperation in addressing increasingly complex migration and border management issues, adding that support to the National Command and Control Centre was particularly important for strengthening operational monitoring and coordinated responses to transnational crime.
Ambassador Akamatsu Shuichi said security and human rights were complementary rather than competing values, and that strong, capable and humane border management institutions protect both the integrity of the state and the dignity of individuals — a model Japan would continue to support.
Mio Sato, Chief of Mission for IOM Pakistan, said border management today extends beyond the movement of people across borders, sitting at the intersection of national security, economic connectivity, regional cooperation and the protection of human dignity, and that the project – supported by the Government of Japan – had strengthened institutions and systems to serve Pakistan’s border management needs.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Akamatsu visited FIA’s National Command and Control Centre, where he was briefed on its role in operational monitoring, intelligence coordination and responses to transnational crime. He also formally handed over one of the three transport vehicles to FIA, which will be deployed at the Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore airports to support the safe and dignified reception and onward transportation of returning migrants.
IOM and FIA expressed appreciation to the Government of Japan for its continued support to migration governance in Pakistan, while IOM commended FIA for its institutional leadership and partnership throughout the project’s implementation.
The handover was also attended by senior officials from Japan, IOM and FIA, was carried out through a project financed by the Government of Japan and implemented in partnership with FIA to equip 21 operational points nationwide with modern security, surveillance and biometric systems.
