Increase in human trafficking incidents: Pakistan is still on TIP Report watch list, NA body told

Pakistan has been on the watch list of Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report) of the US State Department for the fourth consecutive year due to increase in human trafficking incidents. While briefing a sub-committee of National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior, Director Immigration Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Tariq Malik said that Pakistan is on watch list of TIP Report.
The TIP Report is the US government's principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking issue. It is also the world's most comprehensive resource of the governmental anti-trafficking efforts. According to TIP Report 2017, Pakistan is on tire-2 of watch list of countries not fully complying with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
The committee presided over by its convener MNA Nawab Muhammad Yousaf Talpur discussed the bills including 'The Trafficking in Person Bill, 2017,' moved by MNA Babar Nawaz Khan, and 'The Prevention of and Control of Human Trafficking, Amendment Bill, 2017,' moved by MNA Nafeesa Inyatullah Khattak.
Tariq said that the FIA will support the bill but the issue of internal trafficking is not its mandate. "The bill deals with both the internal and external trafficking but under the law the FIA is only mandated to deal with international trafficking," he said, adding that the offence of internal trafficking would first be added into FIA Schedule of FIA Act 1974 then the agency would be able to take action in this regard.
He said that the internal human traffic is the mandate of provincial governments; therefore, it is mandatory to take on board the provincial governments before passing any legislation in this regard. "If a law with respect to internal trafficking is passed only for Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) limits, it would not prove helpful in attaining required objectives as the problem mainly exists at provincial level."
The committee decided to call the representatives of provincial governments to take their viewpoints on the matter during the next meeting. The committee also directed the FIA to hold a meeting with the provincial government in order to frame a comprehensive law in this regard.