FIA arrest Chinese, Pakistani couple from Islamabad Airport as crackdown continues

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday arrested Chinese and Pakistani couples from the Islamabad Airport as it continued its crackdown against human trafficking.

According to the FIA, the arrested Chinese nationals appeared as married couples and were smuggling Pakistani girls to China. Two Chinese men and three Pakistani women were among those arrested.

The FIA further said the Chinese nationals were involved in organ trafficking.

On Thursday, the FIA busted a human smuggling cell and arrested 11 Chinese nationals and two Pakistanis from Lahore’s Johar Town.

Earlier this week, the FIA arrested fifteen Chinese nationals including a woman from Rawalpindi accused of trafficking Pakistani girls to China. The gang was led by a Chinese national Song Chuaoyang who was also arrested.

Two Pakistani girls were recovered from the accused. A Christian and two Muslims girls were earlier sent back to their parents by the FIA authorities.

On Monday, FIA busted a racket of Chinese nationals involved in trafficking Pakistani girls to China by contracting marriages.

Deputy Director FIA Jamil Ahmad Khan Mayo said authorities, as part of a crackdown against foreigners involved in illegal activities in the country, arrested eight Chinese nationals from Lahore airport and other areas on the charges of trafficking young women to China after marrying them.

According to the official, the suspects, with the assistance of Pakistani agents, contracted marriages with unsuspecting local girls and then trafficked them to China where the victims were forced into prostitution.

They said the suspected leader of the ring is the son of a Punjab Police officer, who had fled when a raid was conducted for his arrest. The officials said the suspected ring leader has acquired interim bail until May 13.

China denies media reports

The Chinese Embassy in a statement denied media reports that Pakistan women were being forced into prostitution or sale of human organs.

“According to investigations by the Ministry of Public Security of China, there is no forced prostitution or sale of human organs for those Pakistani women who stay in China after marriage with Chinese,” the embassy said in a statement.

The statement added that a few criminals would not be allowed to undermine China’s friendship with Pakistan and hurt friendly feelings between people of the two countries.