The foreign ministry should include a police character certificate as part of the visa application
ISLAMABAD: The recent news of Pakistani women being lured by Chinese men into marriage and then trafficked in China is very worrying. Reports say local people are involved in scouting underprivileged Christian families, who would agree to marry off their daughters to Chinese men as they would provide a financially secure future. Fortunately, human rights groups have taken notice of this and the scam has received due attention, so that people can be warned regarding such traps.
Last year, a few Chinese nationals were involved in looting ATMs and hacking into peoples’ accounts through the data retrieved from there. They were also sourced from local people who had hired them to commit the crime.
It is saddening to see our own people working against us, robbing and cheating us. However, we cannot ignore the numerous foreigners involved in this. Strict background checks need to be done by our government before granting visas and work permits to them. The Foreign Ministry should include a police character certificate as part of the visa application, similar to the one required of Pakistani nationals wishing to visit China. Other measures should also be introduced to ensure our country is protected from prospective criminals.
Fahad Shaikh
Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2019.
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