Forensic Document Examination workshop at Bacha Khan International Airport

 

  

With a view to empowering Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency immigration officials and the frontline staff of airlines operating at Bacha Khan International Airport Peshawar, and within the framework of UNODC COPAK's ongoing activities under its sub-program on human trafficking, a two-day  hands-on training workshop was delivered on 15-16 February 2016 at the airport .

The workshop's objective was to raise the level of awareness, related to the growing use of fraudulent documents, amongst law enforcement officials and airline staff. 

Bacha Khan International is the fourth busiest airport in the country; but this is the first training held on security document examination in the last ten years at this airport. 

The participants were from various organizations such as FIA, PIA, Emirates, Shaheen Air, Air Blue, Qatar Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Dnata, and RAS and found this opportunity equally good for learning and for sharing their knowledge with each other, to enable better understanding of the subject and facilitate alignment for further cooperation. 

The training is intended to enhance the practical knowledge and skill sets of immigration officers to actively detect forged and fraudulently obtained documents, and in addition to discern printing techniques in an attempt to overcome the growing challenges and complexities around migrant smuggling as such migrants from KPK try to reach Oman, UAE, and other GCC or Middle Eastern countries. The senior management of FIA and GMs from the airlines involved visited the venue, and thanked UNODC for providing this valuable training.