Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) reportedly started the process of confiscating the property of human trafficking suspects Tuesday on the directions given by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Sharif had directed the authorities to expedite the process in the first week of January.
According to local newspaper DAWN, FIA has begun seizing the property under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) 2010. This action focuses on suspects implicated in recent tragedies, such as the Greek boat incident and the Libyan coast disaster, which resulted in the deaths of numerous irregular migrants.
Properties in Sialkot, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, and Gujranwala districts are being confiscated, with key targets including members of the Jajja network and other known traffickers. High-profile arrests have also been made, including prime suspect Imran Shakoor of Gujrat and Zafar Iqbal of Mandi Bahauddin, the latter accused of extorting money under false promises of overseas employment.
To accelerate the crackdown, the PM has reportedly called for expedited prosecution, top legal representation, and international cooperation for the extradition of traffickers operating abroad.
Pakistan addresses human trafficking through the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018, which criminalizes trafficking for exploitation, including forced labor, sexual exploitation, and the organ trade. The law distinguishes between internal and transnational trafficking, prescribing stringent penalties for offenders, with harsher punishments for trafficking women and children. The act also mandates victim protection measures, such as shelter, medical care, and legal assistance. Additionally, under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010, authorities can seize assets linked to human trafficking.
The UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which supplements the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, governs the international law for human trafficking. It defines trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons through force, fraud, or coercion for exploitation. The protocol obligates countries to criminalize trafficking, adopt measures to prevent it, protect victims, and promote international cooperation.
According to the US Department of Justice’s Trafficking in Persons Report 2024, Pakistan, rated Tier 2, has improved anti-trafficking efforts with more prosecutions, victim services, and data collection but struggles with bonded labor, weak enforcement, inadequate shelters, and official complicity, perpetuating impunity.
