Islamabad: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) handed over border management equipment and transport vehicles to Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The ceremony was held at the FIA Headquarters in Islamabad, marking the culmination of a four-year project funded by the Government of Japan aimed at enhancing Pakistan’s border management capacity.
The ceremony was attended by 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 broader support to the Government of Pakistan in strengthening migration governance, facilitating safe, regular and orderly migration, and enhancing protection-sensitive responses to trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.
The equipment delivered includes biometric, IT, security, surveillance, communication, and solar systems, reaching 21 FIA operational points nationwide. This includes equipment supporting FIA’s National Command and Control Centre at Headquarters, established to strengthen coordinated, intelligence-led responses to transnational crime, including human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, and cybercrime. IOM also handed over three dedicated transport vans, 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.
This equipment handover was complemented investments 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 now provides a modernized learning environment for both new recruits and in-service officers. As the Academy trains an average of 1,000 officers annually, these improvements will help sustain the project’s impact by strengthening FIA’s long-term capacity in protection sensitive and rights-based border management.
The project also delivered institutional support through sustained capacity-building activities. Over 150 FIA officials were trained, covering rights- and gender-based approaches to border management, investigation techniques, and document and biometric verification. The initiative built a sustainable pool of FIA master trainers, including women, now equipped to independently build capacities within the institution. The project 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.
“This partnership demonstrates the importance of sustained international cooperation in addressing increasingly complex migration and border management issues,” said Dr Usman Anwar, Director General of FIA. “The support to our National Command and Control Centre is particularly important, as it strengthens our ability to improve operational monitoring and coordinated responses to transnational crime.”
“We believe that security and human rights are not competing values — they are complementary ones. Strong, capable, and humane border management institutions protect the integrity of the state and protect the dignity of individuals at the same time. That is the model this project has worked to build, and it is the model Japan will continue to support.”, said H.E. Mr. AKAMATSU Shuichi, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan.” This partnership demonstrates the importance of sustained international cooperation in addressing complex migration and border management challenges.”
“Border management today extends far beyond the movement of people across borders. It sits at the intersection of national security, economic connectivity, regional cooperation, and the protection of human dignity,” said Mio Sato, Chief of Mission, IOM Pakistan. “Through the generous support of the Government of Japan, this project has enabled institutions and improved systems that will serve Pakistan’s border management needs.”
During the ceremony, Ambassador Akamatsu visited FIA’s National Command and Control Centre (NC3), where he was briefed on its role in operational monitoring, intelligence coordination and responses to transnational crime. The Ambassador also formally handed over one of the three dedicated transport vehicles to FIA. The vehicles will be deployed at Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore international airports to facilitate the safe and dignified reception and onward transportation of returning migrants.
IOM and FIA expressed appreciation to the Government of Japan for continued support to migration governance in Pakistan. IOM also praised the FIA for its institutional leadership and partnership throughout the project’s implementation.
