The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has blacklisted and banned 87 officers from being posted in the immigration and anti-human trafficking cells across Pakistan. After examining the inquiry reports of the Lybia and Greece boat swamps last year which involved the deaths of scores of illegal Pakistani migrants, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi banned the FIA officers and lower staff involved in professional negligence or corruption relating to human trafficking from deputing on sensitive appointments in the future. Naqvi maintained that the real culprits behind the boat accidents must be dealt with iron hands, as perpetrators of human trafficking are jailed for their wrongdoings.
There have been multiple incidents of boat swamps in the Arcidict and Medditearanin seas in recent years involving scores of deaths of illegal Pakistani migrants who departed Pakistan for the Middle East and later faced unfortunate death during their attempts to illegally enter Europe through dangerous sea routes. There was not a single incident of boat wreckage involving no illegal Pakistani migrants on board wherein the volume of the illegal migration is so grave that more than 300 Pakistani nationals were killed in a single incident of ship swamp off the coast of Greece in April last year. Meanwhile, dozens of Pakistanis were killed in ship wreckage off the coast of Lybia later last year.
Unfortunately, the number of people who flee the country due to fear of poverty, religious prosecution, destruction of war, terrorism, or other societal issues is nominal wherein a majority of the young Pakistanis from certain areas including Gujrat, Gujranwala, Azad Kashmir, and Sialkot intentionally seek illegal migration or managed voluntarily human smuggling with the help of recruiting agents or human smugglers with the price of $8000 per head. The corrupt government officials particularly FIA immigration and anti-Human Trafficking cells play an important role in the accomplishment of this nefarious anti-state evil agenda instead of upholding their official responsibility. After the Greece boat incident, then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a high-level inquiry which revealed the involvement or negligence of 87 FIA officials in that incident who have now been blacklisted and banned from deputing on sensitive duties.
Such devastating events highlight the desperate circumstances that drive people to risk their lives in search of hope and opportunity. Hundreds of Pakistanis have lost their lives and bereaved families are seeking justice and are unaware of the culprits who are responsible for the untimely death of their loved ones, whether the recruiting agents/ human smugglers, institutions like the FIA, the individuals who used illegal means to realize their rightful dreams or the system which does not provide a respectful living to its citizens and prompt them to use illegal means to meet their social needs and monetary goals in their lives. The volume of illegal migration is so gigantic that the Italian Coast Guard rescued 47 boats carrying around 1600 migrants in the central Mediterranean Sea in just two days.
Unfortunately, Pakistani leaders could not provide their public with the basics of life in their country whereas the monthslong political instability and economic frailty have turned the country into an unlivable place for the middle-class and low-income segments of the society. The youths are utterly disappointed about the system and see no future in the country, thus every other household intends to migrate from the country to live a dignified life no matter how it happens legally or illegally. Awfully, Pakistani leaders not only failed to bring any social or economic change in the country but also failed to strengthen the national institutions and clump down hard on human traffickers to halt illegal migration from the country. It is time that our leaders redefine their priorities and focus on the national economy, improve people’s lives, and restore public trust in the country. So, our youth have sufficient opportunities to build their future in the country.
