THE latest directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about strict legal action against all human trafficking groups in the country and make them an example is manifestation of the fact that the Government is firm in its resolve to take the campaign against the menace of human smuggling to its logical conclusion. Tragedies did occur in the past as well but the death of a number of Pakistanis in the boat capsize incident in Greece last month jolted the decision-makers to address the issue in a comprehensive manner as is evident from the fact that the Prime Minister himself has chaired several high level meetings on the issue since then and personally monitors progress of the action against traffickers.
Human smuggling and human trafficking have assumed serious dimensions leading not only to frequent tragedies involving loss of precious lives but also bringing bad name to the country. Reliable reports suggest about one hundred thousand Pakistanis cross international borders illegally each year and these include those smuggled and those who fall victims to trafficking. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Pakistan is one of the worlds largest countries of origin for smuggled migrants, and Balochistan is a major point of departure in South Asia. The land and sea routes of Balochistan are operated by national agents and transnational chains and brokers that provide services to the victims. Organized networks and sub-networks of smugglers operate in different parts of the country and more so brazenly in Gujrat and Gujranwala regions of Punjab. The illegal activity has been going on for years with full connivance of the law-enforcing agencies and this has been confirmed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) itself. It is, therefore, not surprising that more than thirty officers of the FIA have been arrested and dismissed from service for their alleged collusion with human smugglers. FIA Director General Ahmed Ishaq Jahangir conducted departmental hearings of 49 officials implicated in boat incidents, the agency said, adding that 35 were dismissed from service. The UNODC study highlights that these networks operate undercover but they are easily contacted and that is why thousands of people fall victim to them. Most of the people are lured by these fraudsters because of poverty and in the hope of finding some attractive jobs abroad and in the process are not only deprived of their life-long savings but also end up in foreign jails where they languish for years because of the pathetic attitude of our missions abroad. The issue has become so serious that now gangs of beggars are sent abroad for begging including the holiest places of Makkah Mukarramah and Madina Munawara. The directions of the Prime Minister for initiation of robust legal action against all those involved in human smuggling and trafficking is understandable as the so-called recruiting agents go scot free because of collusion with some personnel of law enforcing agencies and lack of actionable evidence against them due to weak and lacklustre investigation. Some smugglers and traffickers fleece people and then make their way abroad to avoid any action (and continue their illegal business from there) and it is in this backdrop that the Prime Minister has asked contact relevant countries to expedite the extradition of Pakistanis running human trafficking operations abroad. A comprehensive media campaign can also help save people from becoming victims to the machinations of the fraudulent recruiting agents. Apart from sensitizing the general public on the dangers involved, it would be appropriate if names of those agents against whom credible evidence is available should also be made public. We hope that the continued focus of the Prime Minister on the issue would go a long way in preventing tragedies and safeguarding the interests of innocent people.
