China assures maximum cooperation to investigate trafficking incidents

ISLAMABAD: China has assured maximum cooperation with the Pakistani authorities to probe the trafficking of Pakistani girls as Beijing has reportedly taken notice of the recent news stories.

China has issued warning to the Pakistani and Chinese nationals to stay away from the fake illegal marriage counsellors. According to police reports, a gang from Faisalabad has been unveiled which is involved in human trafficking.

The authorities said that the gang has sent as many as 18 girls to China.

Deputy Director FIA Jamil Ahmad Khan Mayo earlier said the authorities, as part of a crackdown against foreigners involved in illegal activities in the country, arrested eight Chinese nationals from Lahore airport and other areas on the charges of trafficking young women to China after marrying them.

According to the official, the suspects, with the assistance of Pakistani agents, contracted marriages with unsuspecting local girls and then trafficked them to China where the victims were forced into prostitution.

The accused include a Chinese woman as well, he added.

The FIA also apprehended four Pakistani accomplices of the arrested Chinese nationals, officials said. The Pakistani facilitators were identified as Qaiser, Kashif Nawaz, Ismail Yousuf and Zahid Maseeh.

They said the suspected leader of the ring is the son of a Punjab Police officer, who had fled when a raid was conducted for his arrest. The officials said the suspected ring leader has acquired interim bail until May 13.

In order to trace the traffickers, FIA officials had also attended a wedding and collected particulars of the suspected Chinese nationals.

They said the suspects would send Rs50,000 each to families of the girls, who were trafficked.