Over 6,700 illegal Pakistani immigrants entered EU, SC told

FIA says Gujranwala division hub of illegal migration to EU through land route

ISLAMABAD: Submitting a report on the last month’s killing of immigrants in Balochistan, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has told the Supreme Court that 6,767 Pakistanis illegally entered European Union (EU) during the ongoing year.

The report, submitted by the FIA director general, has been compiled in connection with a suo motu case related to the killing of 20 people in Buleda area of Kech district near the Pakistan-Iran border on Nov 15.

The FIA report says all the victims belonged to the eastern part of the country, especially the various districts of Gujranwala division, and had reached the western Balochistan in a bid to cross over into Iran illegally and then make their way to Europe.



“These innocent victims were intercepted and killed by armed terrorists who intended to spread fear and hate among different communities of the country. At the time of the killing, the victims had not committed any crime and were well within their right to travel to that part of the country,” it says.

The report reveals that Pakistan is among the fourth largest country in terms of its citizens who illegally entered the EU in the ongoing year, adding that the illegal migrants use Iran and Turkey to reach EU.

“As many as 80,040 Pakistani have been deported from Iran, 10,476 illegal migrants were expelled from Turkey and more than 20,000 individuals were exiled from EU in last four years,” it says, adding that Gujranwala is the hub of illegal migration to EU through land route featuring Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Greece.



The FIA says there is a need to improve cooperation with Pakistan-Iran border commission in respect of migration issues especially with regard to agents working in Iran. “The FIA has moved the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to organise an emergency meeting of the Pakistan-Iran border commission and to impress upon the Iranian authorities to arrest and prosecute the Iran-based traffickers,” it says.

The Pakistan-Iran border is more than 900km long. The management of this border is difficult as people of the same tribes live on both of its sides and move back and forth using unfrequented crossing points by availing ‘Rahdari’ system implemented by local administrations.

In order to tackle the illegal migration through the land route, Pakistan has established an Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to curb the human trafficking. “The FIA believes that there is need to improve coordination amongst members of the IATF. The IATF meeting was held on Dec 21 (Thursday),” it adds.