Alarm bells for travellers

Failure to eradicate polio has brought us travel ‘difficulties’, failure to control people-trafficking will bring more

As if Pakistan did not have enough difficulties to contend with, human trafficking has now been added to the list. Pakistan sits at or is close to the bottom of most lists that it features on. A fresh rise in human trafficking within our borders means that Pakistan may be moved from the ‘Tier 2’ list to the ‘Tier 3’ list of countries that face sanctions because of their failure to comply with minimum standards to prevent human smuggling. Were this to happen, we would be the first South Asian country to be put on the list, a dubious honour indeed.



The bad news was revealed by the director of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), who was giving evidence to the Senate Standing committee on Interior and Narcotics control on June 10. The consequences of such a move may include a cut in aid by donor nations, travel and other restrictions, most of which can only be waived by the US president. The Americans take careful note of just where human traffickers are located, and there are now 95 of the ‘most wanted’ living in Pakistan. The FIA has taken up the matter with the provinces. It must be understood that trafficking in this instance does not only mean people who are moved trans-nationally, but within the country as well, and can include those sold for prostitution, bonded and slave labour, debt servitude and child labour. Instances of all of those are on public view every day of the year.

Currently, Pakistan, along with 72 other states, is a source, transit and destination country for the trafficking of people. A total of 21,230 people have been intercepted at the Iran-Pakistan and Pakistan-Afghanistan borders alone in the last two years. Legislation relative to people-trafficking is outdated and needs revision and there will be resource implications if we are not to find ourselves, once again, as an international pariah. Failure to eradicate polio has in recent years brought us travel ‘difficulties’ and failure to control people-trafficking is going to bring us more. We do not need yet another instance where Pakistan is identified as part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th,  2015.

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