Hong Kong Assistant Director for Enforcement and Litigation, Eric K.K. Chan, told reporters at the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad on 13 September that Pakistanis top the list of irregular migrants in the former British colony. According to Chan, some 215 Pakistani irregular migrants entered Hong Kong through China in 2006 and another 363 in 2007. The official also recalled that in 2004 a large number of Pakistani nationals filed for asylum in Hong Kong, claiming to have been victims of torture but this claim was later proven false.
A Pakistani human smuggler and 53 irregular immigrants were arrested by Greek border guards along the Turkish border on 5 September. The irregular migrants, including Kurds, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Iraqis and Palestinians, were found aboard a tractor trailer after having swum across the Evros river that separates Greece from Turkey. They claimed to have paid $4,500 each to their Pakistani smuggler to bring them to Salonika, Greece.
The Interior Ministry has created a Migration Management Cell (MMC) whose main task is to come up with a database on human trafficking and establish links among all concerned ministries. One of the first activities undertaken by the MMC was to organize a conference on Data Collection and Human Trafficking designed to develop the necessary linkages among various government ministries and departments, provincial governments, and other stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking. The conference was held on 12 September at the headquarters of the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA).
The Noor Education Trust (NET) confirmed that prayer leaders of several mosques have agreed to use their podium to help raise awareness about the menace of human trafficking following a meeting between the local clerics and activists on 12 September. The said meeting is part of NET's efforts to build alliances in the fight against human trafficking.
At a recent two-day workshop at the Qazi Jamil Institute of Legal Studies, Barrister Zahoorul Haq called on the government to formulate more stringent laws to curb human trafficking. He said the existing 2002 ordinance on the prevention of human trafficking carries only light punishments for perpetrators of the crime. Workshop participants also called for a clearer definition of "internal trafficking" since there are allegedly many ambiguities about the term.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) recently launched its first 322-page Immigration Handbook, which is designed to serve as a handy reference guide and policy manual for officials dealing with immigration affairs. The handbook contains information on relevant laws and regulations, MoUs signed by Pakistan with various countries, addresses and contact data of relevant offices and a comprehensive methodology on immigration services.
Pakistani authorities arrested some 66 Afghan nationals and 17 suspected Taliban members in separate incidents in two border areas. The 66 Afghans who crossed into Pakistani territory from Iran were nabbed in Taftan on 9 September. That same day, 17 suspected Taliban members, three of whom had serious injuries, were arrested in the Chagai district while attempting to flee from heavy fighting in Helmand province in Afghanistan.
Sources: "Peshawar: Stricter anti-human trafficking laws urged," Dawn, 1 September 2007; "Peshawar: Lawyers seek changes in human trafficking law," Dawn, 3 September 2007; AFP, "Bangladeshis among 53 illegal immigrants held in Greece," The Daily Star, 7 September 2007; "Pakistani smuggler, 53 illegal immigrants arrested in Greece," Daily Times, 7 September 2007; APP, "Cell to compile database on human trafficking," Daily Times, 10 September 2007; "66 Afghans arrested at Taftan," Dawn, 10 September 2007; "Clerics vow to check human trafficking," Dawn, 12 September 2007; APP, "Ministries, provincial govts to jointly curb human trafficking," Daily Times, 13 September 2007; Mubarak Zeb Khan, "'Pakistanis top illegal immigrants in Hong Kong'," Dawn, 14 September 2007; "FIA immigration handbook launched," Dawn, 14 September 2007; "NGO, clerics to take measures against women trafficking," Daily Times, 14 September 2007