At Multan International Airport, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) stopped a human trafficking attempt that was masquerading as an Umrah journey. Five passengers were detained by authorities after being removed from a flight headed for Saudi Arabia. According to an FIA official, the suspects were using Umrah visas and planned to use Saudi Arabia to travel to Libya and Europe. Muhammad Zohaib, Zain-ul-Abidin, Jalal Khan, Usman Ahsan, and Sohail Abbas, who lived in Gujranwala and Rawalpindi, were named as the accused. Suspicions during normal interrogations led to the travelers’ arrest. Their cell phones showed evidence of communication with agents. They were connected to a main agent who was stationed in Libya and had made travel arrangements for them. Investigative findings, he claimed, showed that the suspects had paid high prices to middlemen to enter Europe and Libya illegally through Saudi Arabia.
Human trafficking at Multan airport
The Saudi Arabian government is working hard to eradicate human trafficking, even if it does not yet fully meet the minimal requirements. Saudi Arabia remained in Tier 2 because the government showed overall increased efforts in comparison to the previous reporting period, taking into account any potential effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on its anti-trafficking capacity. At Multan International Airport here, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration arrested a suspect on Friday who was wanted in a well-known corruption case. The accused, Shakeel Ahmed, arrived at Multan Airport from the United Arab Emirates, and his name was noted on the stop list, according to FIA officials. Concerning a case filed at Shah Shams Police Station, the suspect was wanted by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab. Shakeel Ahmed, the suspect, stole insulin from the government and sold it to pharmacies illegally, costing the public coffers millions of rupees. Investigations, he added, showed that the suspect and his associates had sold thousands of insulin units every day.
Human trafficking foiled by FIA in Multan
These initiatives included stepping up training on screening procedures in border regions and detention facilities to enhance victim identification among vulnerable migrants, as well as continuing to investigate, prosecute, and punish traffickers. Additionally, the government piloted a program to eliminate employers’ ability to file “absconding” charges against private sector employees, which was previously used as a retaliatory measure to restrict workers’ movements or ability to exercise their rights. The government also updated victim identification guidelines in its NRM to ensure that first responders could promptly provide victims with targeted and specialized care. But in many crucial sectors, the administration fell short of the minimal requirements. Efforts to hold traffickers accountable were undermined, deterrence was eroded, and possible security and safety issues were raised when authorities failed to regularly seek appropriate sanctions for convicted traffickers, which should have included lengthy prison sentences.
Multan Airport human trafficking attempt blocked
Due to their exclusion from the most recent sponsorship laws and the absence of effective labor law safeguards comparable to those enjoyed by other private sector workers, domestic workers remained to face significant dangers of forced labor. The government did not have shelters for male or female victims other than domestic servants, nor did it send the majority of victims to services or care. Additionally, it failed to regularly check vulnerable groups for signs of human trafficking, which would have led to some victims being unfairly punished for crimes they had committed as a direct result of being trafficked, such as immigration or “prostitution” infractions. Lastly, the government’s anti-trafficking law failed to hold suspected complicit authorities accountable for trafficking-related offenses, including at least one diplomat based outside of Saudi Arabia.
FIA intercepts human trafficking operation
Haseeb Ahmed, Qaiser Ahmed, Usman Ali, and agent Abdul Shakoor were identified as unlawful travelers. They had traveled from Faisalabad, Chiniot, Gujranwala, and Nankana Sahib. Abdul Shakoor agreed to pay them RS 1.4 million each to bring them to Poland illegally. The arrested individuals, who planned to enter Poland illegally through Azerbaijan, had paid the agency an advance of Rs250,000 apiece. According to a preliminary inquiry, significant evidence was found on the cell phone of human trafficker Abdul Shakoor, who utilized a Shangla Hill-based company called Zam Zam Travels to get Azerbaijani visas for other defendants. Law enforcement activities were continued by the government. Sex trafficking and labor trafficking were made illegal by the 2009 anti-trafficking law, which also stipulated that offenders could face up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to 1 million Saudi Arabian riyals (SAR) ($266,670), or both. The severity of the penalties increased in cases where there were aggravating circumstances, such as trafficking crimes involving a female or child victim.