Summary Thousands of Pakistanis remain unaccounted for after travelling to Azerbaijan, raising concerns over a growing illegal migration route to Europe.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Azerbaijan has emerged as a new transit route for human smugglers attempting to send Pakistanis illegally to Europe, with unsuspecting travellers reportedly being lured through fake tourism packages.
According to official documents, human smugglers convince people to first visit Azerbaijan as tourists before attempting to enter Europe through illegal "donkey route" crossings, promising permanent settlement in European countries.
Official figures show that 166,634 Pakistanis travelled to Azerbaijan during the past three years.
Documents reveal that 44,943 Pakistanis visited Azerbaijan in 2024, of whom 2,676 did not return to Pakistan.
In 2025, a total of 47,491 Pakistanis travelled to Azerbaijan, while 2,495 failed to return, according to official records.
During the first five months of 2026, 14,200 Pakistanis travelled to Azerbaijan, but the return of 2,550 individuals has not been recorded, further intensifying concerns that the country is being used as a new route for illegal human smuggling to Europe.
