Trafficking of two sisters: Agency to involve Interpol to extradite culprit of flesh trade

Intelligence body takes action on The Express Tribune’s story.

FAISALABAD:

As two innocent girls, who fell victim to commercial sex trade for four years, face constant life threats, a civilian intelligence agency has decided to recommend the government to involve Interpol to get hold of Ayesha and Ashfaq, who allegedly are responsible for bringing misery on the girls. 

After The Express Tribune reported the horrific ordeal of the two sisters Z, 20, and S, 21 – who have been struggling for justice for the last year and a half – the state machinery jumped in and took action to provide justice to the girls.

The girls hail from Faisalabad and the local office of the spy agency was asked to investigate the case and give its findings.

The civilian intelligence agency has completed its initial investigations and found the contents of The Express Tribune story accurate, said an official of the agency who is part of the investigation team.

On the basis of its findings, the spy agency has recommended to seek the help of Interpol to extradite Ayesha from Dubai, he said. “We have apprehensions that she might be part of a bigger racket that is involved in smuggling girls from Pakistan to Dubai for commercial sex trade.”

Until the agency gets hold of Ayesha and her husband, Ashfaq, nothing can be said about how many innocent girls have been trapped so far.

They believe that Ayesha was residing in Dubai but the whereabouts of her husband are not known yet.

Almost five years ago, Ayesha visited the house of Z and S and told their parents that their girls would be given jobs at her salon in Dubai. The poverty-stricken parents agreed, and then, their troubles began.

Ayesha’s husband forged documents for the girls before they were taken to the United Arab Emirates. The girls were just 15 and 16 at the time. Only after reaching Dubai did they learn what they would really be doing.

The agency’s findings were that the girls were still receiving threats from the culprits that forced them to sell their house in Ghulamabad, Faisalabad, according to the official. The girls were blackmailed into withdrawing their case.

The accused couple are suspected to be involved in many cases of drugs and prostitution. However, officials of the agency still do not know how the couple managed to forge computerised national identity cards of under-aged girls.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2014.