Human trafficking: Pakistan on US watchlist for 4 years, NA panel told

FIA admits it lacks capacity to curb human trafficking inside country

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel was told on Monday that for the last four years Pakistan has been on the US State Department’s watchlist for human trafficking as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) confessed that it has no capacity and jurisdiction to curb such trafficking inside the country.

The FIA lacks any proper mechanism and capacity to stop human trafficking inside the country. Even if it is given the authority, it will be an uphill task for it to curb human trafficking as it is already struggling to even keep up with the external human smuggling issues, said the FIA’s Director Interpol Tariq Malik.

Malik was sharing these details with a sub-committee of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior, where members were also briefed on two bills to stop the menace of human trafficking inside the country. Nawab Yousaf Talpur chaired the sub-committee.



A member of committee, Kanwar Naveed Jameel, asked why the FIA could not take action against the growing menace internally. “It needs serious deliberation as such people could be used in terrorism,” he said.

An official of the Ministry of Interior replied that it was not in the schedule of the FIA and before granting such responsibility to the agency, its capacity must be kept in mind as it only looks into human smuggling and trafficking carried out outside Pakistan.

“The FIA has no jurisdictional authority in provinces after the devolution,” he said, adding that the FIA’s remit is confined to Islamabad. A draftsman of Ministry of Law and Justice also seconded him.

Malik said there had been a push from international community to eradicate bonded labour, child labour, exploitation of women and relevant issues but provinces were carrying out action.

He also told the committee that a law was on the cards about human trafficking and hoped that the bill will soon be passed from parliament to make it more exclusive in fighting that global crime.

“Still there is a need for cohesive, coordinated and all-encompassing effort with provinces,” Malik said, adding that currently Pakistan is also on the watch list of US Department of State for the last four years.

According to the website of US State Department, Pakistan is on the second tier of the watch list. As per the list, the tier includes countries whose governments do not fully meet the minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.



Similarly, in such countries the absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing. “There is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year,” says the website.

Mover of the amendment bill, Nafeesa Khattak, said women and children are the worst victim of such trafficking and globally the European Union is also taking action against such crimes.

The committee also discussed role of International Centre for Migration Policy Development and how they are eroding the menace of human trafficking. It laid stress on sensitisation about the issue and difference between human smuggling and human trafficking.

The FIA official requested that the reply of provinces about the said bill must be taken into account so that comprehensive steps are taken in this regard. The chairperson asked the interior ministry to take comments on the bills from all the provinces before taking steps for concrete legislation.