Pakistan Begins Repatriation of Immigrants Trapped by Human Traffickers in Africa
GUJRAT: The repatriation of Pakistani migrants, who were taken by human traffickers to Morocco and Mauritania for an attempted journey to Europe, has started after months of being stranded in West Africa, according to the Foreign Office.
Four Pakistanis, who had been stuck in Mauritania, arrived at Sialkot International Airport, while the return of 22 Pakistanis involved in the tragic incident near Morocco earlier this month is expected to begin on Monday. Over 40 Pakistanis were reportedly killed by African human traffickers while attempting to enter Europe via the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month.
The Foreign Office announced that it is coordinating with Moroccan authorities to bring the survivors back in stages. The Pakistani Embassy in Rabat has been working closely with local authorities to facilitate the repatriation process, which is complex due to the circumstances.
Most of the repatriated Pakistanis are expected to arrive in Lahore, though specific flight schedules are still being arranged. Additionally, 11 Pakistani nationals from Mauritania who voluntarily chose to return are being included in a separate repatriation process.
The four individuals who recently arrived at Sialkot International Airport had voluntarily returned from Mauritania after paying significant sums to human traffickers for their journey to Europe. They were instead sent to Mauritania, where they were stuck for months, awaiting a chance to travel to Spain.
Two of the returnees, Muhammad Aftab and Mohsin Ali, both from Sialkot, had initially traveled to Senegal with visas granted on arrival for Pakistanis. Their families had paid human traffickers Zamar Ashfaq and Sajid Shah a total of Rs4.7 million each for the journey to Spain. However, the traffickers diverted them to Mauritania and extorted an additional Rs2.7 million.
Another returnee, Muhammad Imran from Sialkot, traveled through Senegal and Ethiopia before being stuck in Mauritania. His family paid trafficker Ali Sabir Rs3.5 million for the trip to Spain, but he was ultimately trapped in Senegal and Mauritania instead.
Upon their return, the men were handed over to the FIA’s anti-human trafficking cell in Gujranwala.
Meanwhile, the FIA has arrested several individuals suspected of involvement in the boat tragedy off Morocco and Greece. The agency arrested four suspected traffickers during recent raids in Gujranwala and Muzaffargarh. Among those arrested is Adeel Ahmed from Muzaffargarh, who allegedly extorted Rs1 million from the family of Rehan Aslam, a victim from Gujrat who was killed in the boat tragedy.
Other traffickers arrested include Ashiq Hussain from Mandi Bahauddin, Zahid Iqbal from Kharian, and Rashid Mehmood from Sara-i-Alamgir, all accused of being involved in human trafficking operations.
