According to the circular No.1/2020, the FIA Director Punjab Zone-I has observed that migrants (deportees) are subjected to vexatious treatment and persecution under the "anachronistic law" at the Lahore and Sialkot airports despite the fact that the Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Act, 2018, and the United Nation's Migrant Smuggling Protocol (Palermo Protocol), 2004, envisage non-criminalization/humane treatment with them and effective prosecution of alleged perpetrators of this transitional and organised crime of human smuggling.

According to the circular, a copy of which is available with Business Recorder, all the deportees (excluding INAD - PAX category A & B) shall be released from the airports within the "shortest possible" time after identifying the perpetrators/facilitators (local or foreigners) responsible for the human smuggling besides recording of statements of the deportees as per the law.

It says that the names, CNICs and emergency passports numbers of deportees shall be transmitted by the head of immigration at an airport to the office of FIA Director Punjab Zone-I via fax and email on the same day for blacklisting through FIA Immigration Headquarters.

"The deportee's statements along with "istegaghasa" shall also be communicated by the head of immigration at the airport to the respective heads of the anti-human trafficking circles (AHTCs) on the same day for registration of criminal investigation and undertaking effecting of "organised criminal groups" involved in human smuggling as per the provisions of the Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Act, 2018," the circular reads.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020