KARACHI: Pakistani authorities on Friday announced the arrest of a human smuggler from Karachi, accusing him of working with an Indian agent to illegally send people to Europe, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the need to eradicate the practice while presiding over a meeting in the federal capital.
The arrest follows a renewed government drive against human smuggling after five Pakistani nationals died in a boat tragedy near the Greek island of Gavdos earlier this month.
Last year, the issue of illegal migration to Europe drew national attention when hundreds of people, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned after their overcrowded vessel capsized off the southwestern Greek coastal town of Pylos during a voyage from Libya.
The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) announcement of the arrest of Abdul Shakoor, the suspected human smuggler, has brought yet another illegal migration route to Europe under the spotlight, as it said the accused collaborated with an Indian national based in Central Asia.
“An Indian agent named Gautam Sharma, residing in Azerbaijan, was coordinating the illegal transportation of the suspects from Azerbaijan to Poland,” the FIA informed, adding three other suspects, Hasib Ahmed, Qaiser Ahmed and Usman Ali, hailing from different areas of Punjab province, were also arrested.
“Human smuggler Abdul Shakoor had made agreements to send the other suspects to Poland, charging $5,028.89 per person,” the statement added. “The suspects paid the agent an advance of $898.02 per person.”
The FIA also named the organizations that helped the suspects obtain visas.
Separately, the prime minister chaired a review meeting on measures to curb human smuggling, wherein he reviewed the report of a committee formed to investigate the latest migrant boat tragedy near Greece and present its findings.
Sharif instructed the formation of a committee, led by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, to develop sustainable solutions for tackling human smuggling.
“The Prime Minister directed that all individuals involved in the heinous human smuggling trade be arrested within a week and legal action be taken against them,” said an official statement circulated by his office after the meeting.
The prime minister questioned why no disciplinary action had been taken so far against complicit government officials facilitating smugglers and directed authorities to ensure stricter visa checks and compliance with travel regulations for all outbound migrants.
The meeting was also provided an update on the identification of Pakistani nationals involved in the boat capsize near Greece this month and the progress of repatriating their bodies.
Pakistani investigation agency says has arrested human smuggler with India links
https://arab.news/jp3eh
Pakistani investigation agency says has arrested human smuggler with India links
- Five Pakistani illegal migrants were killed this month when their boat capsized near a Greek island
- FIA says suspected human smuggler worked with an Indian in Azerbaijan to send people to Poland
Pakistan stocks hit another all-time high as optimism prevails over worker remittances
- Pakistan recorded an inflow of $3.6 billion in Dec., with officials expecting remittances to exceed $40 billion this fiscal year
- ENGROH, PPL, SAZEW, OGDC and PSO collectively added 661 points as the benchmark KSE-100 index rose by 860 points
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) hit a another all-time high as it crossed 188,000 points on Tuesday, amid hopes of strong remittance inflows and budget relief linked to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) talks.
Pakistan recorded an inflow of $3.6 billion in December, with Saudi Arabia emerging as the largest contributor. Pakistani officials expect remittances to exceed $40 billion this fiscal year.
On Tuesday, the benchmark KSE-100 index gained 860.09 points, or 0.46 percent, to close at 188,621.78 points, up from the previous close of 187,761.69 points, according to PSX data.
Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer of Arif Habib Commodities, told Arab News the market witnessed bullish activity amid speculation of the earnings season.
“FM (finance minister) expectations for $41 billion remittances in FY26, and expectations over renegotiation of IMF deal for relief in federal budget played a catalyst role in the record close at PSX,” he said.
Pakistan is currently navigating a long path to economic recovery under a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) approved in Sept. 2024, which has seen Islamabad take several reforms, including privatization of loss-making state entities.
Meanwhile, Pakistani market research firm Topline Securities said in its daily review that the upward momentum at PSX was driven by buying from local mutual funds.
“Additionally, SAZEW [Sazgar Engineering Works Limited] notified that it will commence bookings for its CKD [Completely Knocked Down models] — ‘TANK-500 Hi4-T 4x4 2.0L Turbo AT PHEV and HEV’ — starting Monday, January 26, 2026,” Topline Securities Senior Equity Trader Naveed Nadeem said.
CKD means the cars are assembled locally from imported parts.
Engro Holdings Limited (ENGROH), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), SAZEW, Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC), and Pakistan State Oil (PSO) collectively added 661 points to the index, according to the research firm.
It said a total of 1,222 million shares were traded at a value of $227.86 million (Rs63.8 billion) on Tuesday, with Hascol Petroleum Limited topping the volume chart by trading 113 million shares.
