The Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Immigration-Wing Wednesday revealed to Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis that 1,692 agents involved in human trafficking were arrested last year, but very few of them were convicted.
The committee, which met with its Chairman Dr Khatu Mal Jeewan here at the Parliament House, discussed the issue of stranded persons who were sent abroad by travel agents in co-ordination with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior and FIA.
The committee expressed dissatisfaction over the efficiency of the concerned agencies in stopping the human trafficking and asked FIA and other concerned ministries to chalk out an effective strategy to bring the menace to halt once for all.
Director Immigration, FIA Zafar Iqbal said that human trafficking was a serious issue, which was mostly being done through Pak-Afghan and Pak-Iran borders. He added that most of those people trying to go abroad were Afghanis with fake Pakistani passports.He said that it was very difficult to stop the trafficking through a 2,400-km long Pak-Afghan border, as there were only two recognised check posts one each at Torkham and Chaman borders.
Earlier, Secretary-Interior Qamar Zaman Chaudhry informed the committee that 1,692 agents involved in human trafficking were arrested in 2010, besides arrest of 3,434 illegal migrants by FC and coastal guards at the borders. He, however, added that due to strict monitoring system by FIA, human trafficking has been decreased and only 43 illegal Pakistani migrants were deported in 2010.
He said that a particular Afghan tribe frequently uses various Pakistani routes for illegally entering Australia. He added that Australia has shown serious concerns over the increasing number of human trafficking cases. However, the committee expressed serious concerns over the human trafficking particularly by the citizens of other countries on Pakistani passports, which is bringing a bad name to the country. It directed the FIA and other concerned ministries to adopt an effective strategy to stop the menace.
The committee suggested that a public awareness campaign should be launched in which human traffickers and their agents be identified as black listed. Committee member Tariq Azeem revealed that the agents involved in human trafficking were being released after their arrest due to their contacts with some influential persons. He further said that those beheaded in Saudi Arabia for various crimes were Afghanis who went there on Pakistani passports.
Briefing the committee on the stranded Pakistanis abroad, Special Secretary, Ministry for Foreign Affairs revealed that according to the data collected through various missions abroad, the number of Pakistani prisoners abroad was more than 7,000 in 24 different countries.
He said that provision of legal assistance to Pakistani prisoners abroad and their repatriation were quite expensive, however, the ministry was trying its level best to provide funds for legal assistance to the destitute Pakistani prisoners within budgeted resources.
He was of the view that a liberal policy of repatriating illegal immigrants by paying heavy fines from the public exchequer would encourage the unbridled agents to further exploit the poor job seekers. Earlier, Secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, Saeed Ahmed Khan told the panel that half a million overseas Pakistanis annually visit abroad.
He said that during the last six months $5.6 million worth remittances were sent home. The committee also asked the Ministry for Overseas Pakistanis to provide incentives to Pakistanis abroad to encourage remittances.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.