News Analysis |
Interior Ministry has formulated a plan and forwarded a summary to Prime Minister Khaqan Abbasi to approve the measures and allocate funds worth Rs117.2 million to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA), to curb the menace of human smuggling.
People willing to migrate can easily trace the small gangs operating in Gujrat circles to facilitate the illegal economic migrations.Several routes are opted to smuggle people through Balochistan into Iran and then via Turkey to Greece.A three-member committee headed by the secretary Interior Ministry has given its recommendations for curbing human trafficking.
Ministry of interior seeks PM’s approval of measures to be taken in the compliance of the Supreme Court order in human rights case no. 26962/2017-where 20 bullet-ridden bodies were found in the area of Tehsil Turbat and Buleda Gorak area of district Kech. The deceased was trying to enter Iran illegally to reach Greece via Turkey, in hopes of a brighter future.
CJP took suo moto and summoned the Director General (DG) FIA Bashir Ahmed and secretaries of the Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry Ahsan Iqbal in the court on February 06.
FIA has demanded to appoint grade-19 officers in Tehran and Athens Pakistani Missions along with the two liaisons officers each, [which the agency thinks is necessary] to curb the smuggling of Pakistani migrants.
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If accepted, it will be the first time that any FIA officer will be appointed in a foreign mission. They will collaborate with government officials of Tehran and Athens to deal with such networks operating aboard.
Moreover, a new FIA Gujrat circle office will start operations to break the network of human smuggling operating in Gujrat and Gujranwala areas. PM is also seeking the appointment of 57-officers in the area along with 6-officers aboard, which will cost FIA Rs117.2 million.
Chief justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib, has been criticizing the FIA over its failure to curb human trafficking in the country. He has urged the government to formulate policies to help put an end to this scary business which threatens peoples’ lives.
Despite the ill-fated examples of the unfortunate migrants, people remain adamant for carrying out such illegal and perilous journeys.
After the brutal killing of 20-laborers from Gujrat in Turbat and Buleda tehsils of Balochistan’s Kech district last year. CJP took suo moto and summoned the Director General (DG) FIA Bashir Ahmed and secretaries of the Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry Ahsan Iqbal in the court on February 06.
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Earlier, on December 14, CJ had directed the FIA to submit a comprehensive report on human trafficking. Despite efforts of the FIA to arrest and put the culprits behind the bar, the arrested traffickers would get released on bails.
The deceased was on a mission to reach Europe after illegally crossing the borders of Iran and Turkey with the help of human trafficking networks.The pertinent investigation concluded that organized human smuggling gangs were operating in Gujrat, Lala Musa, Sarai Alamgir, Jhelum, Kharian and Phalia and other tehsils of Mandi Bahauddin and Sialkot.
Moreover, international human smugglers are operating in Iran and Turkey in collaboration with Pakistani gangs particularly in above mentioned epic centers of smuggling in Pakistan.Despite the encouraging growth, Pakistan’s economy faced high unemployment. This jobless growth and inability to eradicate poverty among masses and unfair distribution of resources leading to inequality which is pushing more and more people below the poverty line.
Ministry of interior seeks PM’s approval of measures to be taken in the compliance of the Supreme Court order in human rights case no. 26962/2017-where 20 bullet-ridden bodies were found in the area of Tehsil Turbat and Buleda Gorak area of district Kech.
Mifta in his post-budget engagements confessed that to eradicate poverty, Pakistan needs the growth rate of 8-9%. Annual population rate of 2% & government’s failure to create enough jobs for new market entrants is frustrating the masses.
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People get motivation and inspiration from a sudden & prompt change in the lives of economic migrants living in primarily in European countries. With no game-changing possibilities available at home, desperate to change their lives, frustrated individuals, sometimes take up life-threatening routes to achieve big in life in prosperous lands of Europe.
In the apex court, DG FIA had responded to CJ’s questions that department faced lack of resources to curb human smuggling.Many investigative reports had pointed out at the district Gujrat as an epic center of this menace.Court had also issued orders to Punjab government to build the offices in the affected Zones- Gujrat and Gujranwala.
Human trafficking is one of the greatest human tragedy facing the country. Sometimes unaware of the realities of this testing voyage, illegal migrants face acrimonious conditions during the migration. They are extensively abused by their agents. Many are killed, some lose limbs and become disabled for life. Despite the ill-fated examples of the unfortunate migrants, people remain adamant for carrying out such illegal and perilous journeys.