The issue of setting up visit visas from Tribhuvan International Airport through state-mechanisms is currently in political waves. Some time ago, after the head of the immigration office at the airport was arrested on charges of human smuggling through a visit visa, this issue has become a "hotcake" of national politics and parliament.

Some opposition parties, who have been demanding the resignation of the Home Minister in this case, are still demanding a high-level investigation committee in the parliament.

The visit visa case is currently being investigated by the Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission. The government has formed another inquiry committee under the chairmanship of former chief secretary Shankardas Bairagi to investigate the matter. But the investigation committee formed under the leadership of Bairagi has been questioned from the very beginning. Therefore, the opposition parties except the Maoists have not accepted it. This situation has raised doubts that the human trafficking going on through Tribhuvan International Airport, the misuse of visit visas and the involvement of state institutions in helping the gangs of human traffickers will not be broken again.

This means that the human trafficking going through the international airport will not stop again, but the security sensitivity of the airport will increase. 

Airport and security

For a landlocked country like Nepal, Tribhuvan International Airport is not only a transportation hub but also a major gateway for international contacts and economic activities. This is why its security remains a policy priority. But in the past few years, gold and foreign currency smuggling, drug trafficking, and human trafficking started using this airport, so the need to strengthen its security has increased. The visit visa issue has brought this issue to the surface as a debate. 

International airports are the gateway to any country, so they have a direct relationship with national security. International airports are considered to be highly sensitive infrastructure around the world. This is why every airport has its own unique security challenges. Adequate security arrangements are necessary to maintain a high level of trust globally. International airports naturally demand a security system with strong security equipment. This includes not only security force personnel but also civil i.e. civil service officials responsible for the smooth operation of the airport. The jurisdiction of various stakeholders is determined so that there is no duplication of work and errors and weaknesses in security can be avoided. Jurisdiction is divided. A written arrangement is made to clearly explain all these. 

Nepal's airports, especially the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), are currently facing an extremely complex security structure. Security personnel from various agencies, immigration officers, customs personnel, Civil Aviation Authority and other administrative agencies are also working at the airport, both in the airport and non-airport areas. But as the situation is, there is no effective coordination between these agencies. There seems to be a lack of clear demarcation of their respective rights. Moreover, the weakness and lack of coordination in the exchange of necessary information is not strengthening the security system, it is weakening it further.  Let's look at Nepal Police like

. Nepal Police who have access to the Interpol database to monitor international criminals who may be moving to different countries. Proficiency in criminal investigation and experience in international law enforcement. But Nepal Police is not in any way clear and leading role in security operation of Tribhuvan International Airport. In the same way, the immigration department is limited to its policy role, rather the staff sent directly from the Ministry of Home Affairs (leaders and staff leaders) are effective in its operation, so the effectiveness of immigration seems to be low. 

Past practice and current situation

Although the Armed Police Force (APF) is deployed in Nepal to protect the international border, the involvement of the Armed Police Force is very limited at the Tribhuvan International Airport. It took almost a decade for the government to decide to deploy APF at the airport. Even after that decision, only a limited number of armed police have been deployed there. On the other hand, the officers assigned to be under the control of the immigration office have such poor access to technical knowledge and technology that they are often exposed to the situation of not being able to sit at the immigration and conduct efficient checks. 

This is how we improve 

The chaos seen at Tribhuvan International Airport and the major security challenges it has exposed can become very complicated if attention is not given early. Therefore, there is a need for the government of Nepal to adopt some different strategies to face the current security challenges.  As a

, this requires the establishment of an immigration police bureau. We can learn a lot from organizations like USA's TSA and India's CISF. Based on that experience, the time has come to establish a special immigration police bureau under the Nepal Police. A few different strategies can be adopted for this. As such, a different dress code may be prescribed for immigration officials. Likewise, clear legal authority to operate and control immigration operations can be delegated. It also includes increasing access to international databases including Interpol.

In addition, things like integrated use of smart technology, fully biometric screening of those traveling through immigration, implementation of automated border control system (automated border control system), establishment of artificial intelligence (AI) based surveillance system, establishment of cyber security structure and implementation of real-time risk assessment system are included in this.

The time has come for some fundamental changes in immigration operations. For example, it is necessary to remove the current dual leadership and dual operation structure in immigration so that the immigration department will take a clear lead in policy making, the department will play a coordinating role in its implementation and the main responsibility for the implementation will be the immigration police. Moreover, in order to strengthen the information exchange system, efforts should be made to make a mechanism for exchanging information and information among all concerned agencies and make them efficient through integrated training.

An international airport is the center of prestige and security sensitivity of any nation. What must be understood is that the immigration system is not only an administrative process, but a matter directly linked to international security. From the recent developments, the fact that blacklisted persons and gold smugglers have easily escaped abroad through Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) has come to light. This has raised serious questions about Nepal's national security. This situation seems to have been created due to the combination of Nepal's open borders, weak immigration monitoring and the insensitivity of the political leadership. Such weaknesses not only encourage criminal activities, but tarnish Nepal's image among the international community.