FIA Issues Advisory to Combat Human Trafficking After 20 Years

Islamabad:In a significant move to curb human trafficking, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has issued an advisory after 20 years, directing enhanced monitoring and scrutiny of travelers. The advisory has been sent from the FIA headquarters to Deputy Directors of Immigration across the country.

The advisory, based on the analysis of the IBMS database from July to December, focuses on strict surveillance of passengers from 15 countries, as well as travelers from nine cities in Pakistan and two airlines. It specifically emphasizes the need for tighter scrutiny of travelers aged between 15 and 40 years.

Countries such as Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are highlighted in the advisory, with instructions to thoroughly investigate passengers traveling to these destinations. Additionally, passengers heading to Libya, Iran, Mauritania, Iraq, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, and Kyrgyzstan are also to be profiled more closely.

The advisory notes that these 15 countries have been commonly used by Pakistanis as transit points for human trafficking to Europe. It directs that the movements of passengers holding visit, tourism, religious, or educational visas to these nations be carefully monitored.

The FIA has also issued instructions to monitor travelers from regions such as Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Sialkot, Gujranwala, and Bhimber, as well as to profile passengers from Jhelum, Toba Tek Singh, Hafizabad, and Sheikhupura more effectively.

In addition, the advisory stresses the importance of thoroughly examining documents such as return tickets and hotel bookings, with special attention to travelers on visit or tourism visas. Interviews should be conducted with suspicious passengers to investigate their travel intentions and financial arrangements.

It further mandates that detailed records be kept for suspicious passengers and any irregularities should be reported immediately to the relevant authorities.