The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and theMinistry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) are hosting a regional conference incollaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)and the European Union (EU) to discuss the challenges of smugglingmigrants on 26-27 April at the Marriott Hotel Islamabad.
Migrant smuggling is a crime with high profits and a low risk ofpunishment for the criminals involved. Smugglers sell illegal anddangerous services to desperate people and are often part of awell-organized, multinational network. International cooperation is vital to combat this crime.
“This regional cooperation workshop constitutes a veritable part of our desire to benefit from the perspectives, expertise, as well as cooperation of our regional and international partners. The international community needs a “comprehensive approach” that helpssafe, orderly and regular migration on the one hand, while addressingthe negative impacts of irregular migration on the other” said Mr. SyrusSajjad Qazi, the Foreign Secretary.
“Recent incidents, including the tragic event where 350 Pakistanis were on board a packed trawler that capsized off southern Greece on 14 June 2023, are a stark reminder of the urgent need for increased collaboration among nations to effectively address this complex crime,” said Jeremy Milsom, UNODC Representative in Pakistan. The conference, held as part of the PROTECT: Improving Migration
Management and Migrant Protection in Selected Silk Route Countries project, funded by the European Union, and implemented in the framework of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants.
