Who controls passenger data in Pakistan

The FIA and its traveller database

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration Wing covers immigration, the Exit Control List, the Black List, the Provisional National Identification List and travelling records through IBMS ^1,2. The FIA's IBMS page says the system holds a database of more than 206 million travellers based on arrivals and departures since 2003, with figures given up to 30 June 2020 ².

The FIA's Annual Administration Report 2025 says IBMS recorded 22,650,199 travellers in 2025 ¹. It says IBMS handled 29,689 record queries from government departments, law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies ¹.

Who decides watchlist entries

The FIA report describes the Stop List as an umbrella term for several watchlists ¹. It says placement on these lists, including INTERPOL lists, the Exit Control List and the Black List, is the sole discretion of the Ministry of Interior and the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGI&P) ¹.

The same report says 27,274 INTERPOL, Exit Control List and Black List entries were updated in IBMS during the quarter it describes ¹. It says the FIA intercepted 8,149 individuals on account of their inclusion on the Stop List ¹.

Agencies that receive FIA data

The FIA report lists departments benefiting from real-time data sharing with IBMS ¹. ARY News reported on 9 August 2023 that IBMS checks data against a real-time database linked to NADRA, the passport directorate, the FBR, the police and other agencies ⁶.

• Pakistan Online Visa System, Ministry of Interior and NADRA ¹
• Currency Declaration System, Pakistan Customs ¹
• Device Identification Registration Blocking System, PTA and FBR ¹
• Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment ¹
• Financial Monitoring Unit ¹

NADRA and Pakistan Customs

Section 28 of the NADRA Ordinance 2000 bars employees and others from communicating information outside their official duties, with up to five years in prison, a fine of up to one million rupees, or both ⁴. Section 7(1)(i) provides for access to the National Data Warehouse for government, semi-government and private institutions for a prescribed fee ⁴. Section 22 requires user and feeder agencies to comply with the Authority's reasonable requests for information ⁴.

Pakistan Customs runs the Global Travelers Assessment System, which uses API and PNR information to profile passengers ³. The FBR said on 20 November 2019 that it would serve as a targeting portal for law enforcement agencies at the Pakistan Customs National Targeting Centre ³.

Suppliers, plans and the legal gap

No official source checked names a private company that holds or decides on Pakistani passenger data. Immigration and watchlist decisions rest with the Ministry of Interior, the DGI&P and the FIA, per the FIA report ¹. On 23 April 2026 Profit reported a plan for e-gates linked to FIA databases including exit control lists, passenger records and Interpol systems ⁵. That was a plan as of the report ⁵.

UN Security Council Resolution 2396 (2017) says PNR data should be shared with competent national authorities with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms ⁷. Pakistan's Ministry of IT released a draft Personal Data Protection Bill for consultation in April 2020, as reported by Dawn ⁸. Dawn reported a concern from the Digital Rights Foundation that the draft's exemptions and federal powers would leave government authorities outside the law ⁸. On 19 March 2025 ARY News reported that the ministry asked a Senate committee for two more weeks to finalise the draft ⁹.