ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a special task force to curb human smuggling in Pakistan, his office said on Friday, days after a migrant boat carrying over 60 Pakistanis capsized near Morocco.
The boat capsized near Morocco’s coast on Jan. 15 while carrying 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.
Moroccan authorities said a day later 36 people were rescued from the vessel which left Mauritania on Jan. 2, while the Pakistani Foreign Office has said the survivors include 22 Pakistanis.
Sharif announced the launch of the task force at a meeting to review action against human traffickers, his office said, adding that the prime minister will himself head the task force.
“The arrests of members of groups involved in human trafficking should be expedited,” Sharif told officials at the meeting. “All institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, should play their full role in identifying human traffickers.”
The Morocco tragedy has once again underscored the perilous journeys many migrants, including Pakistanis, embark on due to conflict and economic instability in their home countries.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos, marking one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea. More recently, five Pakistani nationals died in a shipwreck off the southern Greek island of Gavdos on Dec. 14.
The Pakistani government has ramped up efforts in recent months to combat human smugglers facilitating dangerous journeys for illegal immigrants to Europe, resulting in several arrests. PM Sharif has also urged increased collaboration with international agencies like Interpol to ensure swift action against human trafficking networks.
Officials informed participants of Friday’s meeting that so far, six organized human trafficking gangs have been identified, 12 cases have been registered, three key traffickers have been arrested, and 16 names have been placed on the passport control list. They were also apprised of the details of seizure of vehicles, bank accounts and assets.
“The murderers of humanity involved in human trafficking will be brought to justice,” Sharif said.
Pakistan forms special task force to curb human smuggling after Morocco boat capsize
https://arab.news/6d935
Pakistan forms special task force to curb human smuggling after Morocco boat capsize
- A migrant boat capsized near Morocco’s coast on Jan. 15 while carrying 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistani nationals
- The tragedy once again underscored the perilous journeys many migrants embark on due to conflict, instability at home
Pakistan hopes US immigrant visa processing will resume after policy review
- State Department has suspended issuance of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries from Jan. 21
- Pakistan says trade with Iran complies with international law as US announces additional 25 percent tariff
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday it was in contact with US authorities and hoped routine visa processing would resume after Washington completes an internal review of its immigration system that has led to a pause in immigrant visa issuances for several countries, including Pakistan.
The US State Department said on Wednesday it would suspend the issuance of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries, including Pakistan, from Jan. 21, as President Donald Trump presses ahead with a hard-line immigration agenda centered on financial self-sufficiency.
In an update published on its website, the State Department said it was conducting a comprehensive review of immigration policies to ensure that migrants from what it described as “high-risk” countries do not rely on public welfare in the United States or become a “public charge.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said it had taken note of the announcement and was in contact with US authorities to seek clarification on the scope and duration of the move.
“We are in touch with the US authorities to ascertain further details. This is an evolving news that we are following. We understand that this is an internal ongoing process of review of US immigration policies and system,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said.
The spokesperson added that Pakistan viewed the development as part of an internal US policy review and expressed hope that routine visa processing would resume once the review is completed.
Andrabi also addressed Washington’s decision that any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25 percent on any trade with the US, as Washington weighs a response to the situation in Iran which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years.
“This is, again, an evolving story. Pakistan has the trade that takes place between Pakistan and other countries, follows international trade regulations and, of course, international law relevant to those trades,” he said.
He added that Pakistan had taken note of the US announcement and would continue engagement with Washington.
“We will work with the US authorities. Pakistan has had very positive trade in those years with the US and we look forward to culmination of those talks and a mutually beneficial agreement on trade with the US side.”
During the course of his second term in office, Trump has often threatened and imposed tariffs on other countries over their ties with US adversaries and over trade policies that he has described as unfair to Washington.
Trump’s trade policy is under legal pressure as the US Supreme Court is considering striking down a broad swathe of Trump’s existing tariffs.
Iran exported products to 147 trading partners in 2022, according to World Bank’s most recent data.
