ISLAMABAD; The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) revealed on Tuesday that Japanese authorities have deported 22 Pakistani men who attempted to enter the country by posing as members of a football team.
An FIA spokesperson stated that the group was part of a human trafficking scheme orchestrated by Malik Waqas, identified as a key suspect in the scam. Waqas had allegedly established a fictitious club under the name Golden Football Trial and charged each individual Rs4 million to send them abroad illegally.
To make the ruse appear credible, Waqas arranged training for the men to mimic professional footballers and produced forged documents, including fake registrations purportedly from the Pakistan Football Federation and counterfeit certifications from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These documents falsely indicated that official matches were scheduled in Japan, the FIA added.
The men departed from Sialkot International Airport but were intercepted upon arrival in Japan when local authorities detected the fraudulent paperwork. All 22 were deported back to Pakistan.
The FIA confirmed that Waqas has since been arrested and, during interrogation, admitted to previously sending 17 people to Japan in January 2024 using the same tactic. Investigations into the wider network are underway.
Officials noted that traffickers have been adopting increasingly creative strategies to evade detection, particularly after tighter checks were imposed on land routes.
Human smuggling remains a pressing issue in Pakistan, with thousands attempting irregular migration each year in search of economic opportunities. Many face exploitation or tragedy along the way.
