Documentary photographer receives threat from human trafficking mafia in Pakistan

Ubaid Ur Rehman will exhibit his work in Gujarat and Gujranwala, because they are notorious for human trafficking

LAHORE: Ubaidur Rehman has recently graduated as the first ‘Documentary Photographer’ in Pakistan and is working on issues such as human trafficking, specifically the Donkey (slang for illegal border crossing in South Asia) issue since last year.

“I believe in the supposition that the truth must be discovered not constructed,” he told The Express Tribune. “I photograph spontaneously and instinctively to explore my own visual understanding.



Ubaid started work on human trafficking when a couple of Pakistanis were kidnapped in Turkey for ransom money. He interviewed all the victims’ families and visited many places in Gujrat, Gujranwala and the Rawalpindi district to study the reality of the matter. He also met with people who lost their closest family members; many of them are still missing somewhere in Europe or got lost at sea.

On a daily basis, more than 200 people cross the border illegally to make their way to Europe, Iran and Turkey. According to Ubaid, every such person paid €8,000 to reach Europe.

The photographer displayed their work at Beaconhouse National University (BNU) and after a successful show, Ubaid visited the actual Donkey route from Pakistan to Turkey, and then went on to Europe by road.



He spent 45 days there and deeply investigated the kidnapping cases in Hungary and near the Serbian border. He found that almost a hundred Pakistanis are living as refugees in the forests in the region. They had crossed the border for the Schengen states but are living in deplorable conditions in the Sabotika city of Serbia.

Many NGOs are providing the food and other basic life needs for these folk. In the coming few months, Ubaid has planned to display the actual stories of these Pakistanis to spread awareness and educate others who want to travel illegally for Europe. Unfortunately, he has started to receive disturbing threat calls form the illegal mafias who conduct the trafficking as they do not want him blow the cover of their business.



Ubaid has decided he will exhibit his work in major cities in Pakistan like Gujarat and Gujranwala – especially because these districts are notorious for human trafficking.

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