Human trafficking: The dark side of Pakistan's migration rush

"The journey was terrifying from the start. We had to evade armed border guards in each country we passed, fearing we’d be arrested or mistaken for terrorists," recalled Jamal Shah, a 24-year-old student from Sialkot. “But once the smugglers saw an opportunity to extract more money, they turned violent. They beat us up, recorded videos of our torture, and sent them to our families, demanding ransom.”

His family was forced to pay Rs1.5 million for his release. “If they hadn’t, I would have been killed,” he said, his voice trembling. “I was sent back to Pakistan, but I don’t know what happened to the others.”

Jamal is one of the hundreds — if not thousands — who fall prey to human smuggling networks every year.

“Doubts were eating away at me. I had a bad feeling about the whole thing and wasn’t sure if it was going to work, but the glib con artists made an offer I could not refuse.”

Gujranwala’s 38-year-old vendor Asghar Ali was clearly disturbed when he told Geo.tv about how false hope pulled wool around his eyes, sending him on a wild goose chase, only to languish under crushing debt guilt.

He said the psychology-savvy agent showed him video testimonials of people — his network had assisted enter Europe — apparently making it big in Italy or Spain. “I fell for it," Ali, who was trapped by smugglers through Facebook, he told Geo.tv.

“The agent demanded Rs1 million, which I didn’t have. We agreed that I would pay half upfront and the rest after reaching Europe. With help from friends and family —who also pinned their hopes on my journey — I somehow arranged the money,” Ali said recounting his story.

“However, I had no idea what lay ahead. The agent told me our journey would begin the following month, but he soon blocked my account and phone number. I never heard from him again,” said Ali lamenting his indebtedness.

Human smugglers also exploit migrants attempting to reach Europe illegally. They hold them for ransom, and this is where human smuggling turns into human trafficking.

These smugglers, who operate in Pakistan and collaborate with agents in other countries, signal the sub-agents to isolate and break the immigrants mentally and physically, record the torture and send videos to their families, demanding ransom for their safe release.

There were three such cases in 2024 in which ten young men were abducted and abused by people-smugglers. They were released after their families paid ransoms while others were rescued by the Iranian authorities with the assistance of the Pakistani embassy in Tehran.

For many Pakistanis desperate to flee poverty, the hope of a future where they don’t have to live from hand to mouth means taking a perilous overland and sea journey. They sometimes borrow or sell their valuables including properties to pay insanely large fees to smugglers hoping to reach the Middle East or Europe, never knowing that their search for hope can dash them into disaster. Many do not survive, their dreams drown in hostile oceans.

In 2023, hundreds of such aspiring migrants set sail on a doomed ship off the Greek coast, a trip that resulted in one of the deadliest boat accidents in recent history. Now, officials say they have cracked down on many of the networks responsible for such high-stakes journeys.

Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has only recently, on the National Assembly floor, announced that more than 400 human smugglers have been arrested. Assets worth millions of rupees belonging to 17 suspects tied to the Greece boat tragedy have also been confiscated.

Some news outlets initially reported the arrests using the term “human traffickers.” However, it is important to clarify that those detained were human smugglers — two distinct crimes that are often mistaken for one another.

Human smuggling is an unlawful act by which people voluntarily try to migrate overseas illegally at the cost of Rs1-4 million. They knowingly place themselves in grave danger in hopes of travelling abroad illegally.

Popular destinations include Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East. However, some journeys end in tragedy. This year alone, two incidents involving migrant ships carrying dozens of Pakistanis have been reported — one near Morocco and the other off the Libyan coast. The 2023 Greece boat tragedy was one of the worst to have occurred recently, with about 350 Pakistanis on board.

Human trafficking, however, entails coercion, whereby men, women, and children are coerced into work or sexual exploitation for money.

“While traffickers intend to exploit their victims, human smugglers do not. Their goal is to facilitate illegal border crossings in exchange for payment. However, there are cases where human smuggling turns into trafficking — for example when a smuggler begins blackmailing, torturing, or sexually exploiting their clients,” said Wasim Riaz, District Police Officer (DPO) of Mandi Bahauddin, in an interview with Geo.tv.

DPO Riaz further explained that human trafficking does not necessarily involve movement, whereas human smuggling requires individuals to cross borders illegally.

Both human traffickers and smugglers prey on the society’s most vulnerable.

“Youth, refugees, low-income individuals, transgender persons, and women are the primary targets of these criminal networks,” said Syed Kausar Abbas, Executive Director of the Sustainable Social Development OrganiSation (SSDO).

“Youth making up over 60% of Pakistan’s population and facing limited economic opportunities are particularly at risk.”

Big money, shady business

Like other organised crimes, human trafficking is highly profitable, generating over $236 billion globally. It thrives locally, making billions and employing hundreds, but exact data remains elusive.

“Human trafficking is the second largest organised crime globally after drug trafficking. It's even more frequent than arms trafficking. And it is growing in terms of the number of victims, the size of operations, and the income generated,” DPO Riaz added.

The police official highlighted the complexity of human trafficking, noting that withholding papers and forcing labour also count as trafficking — yet often go unnoticed.

Is poverty to blame for the crisis?

Extreme poverty is a key driver in Pakistan, with 3.5% of the employed population earning under $2.15 daily, leaving at least 2.4 million vulnerable.

Studies also reveal that aside from poverty, there are several other factors behind human trafficking. They are oppression, lack of human rights, unavailability of economic opportunities, conflict, political instability, and natural disasters.

Though the smuggling of humans is transnational, trafficking takes place within Pakistan and outside it. Girls and women are trafficked into sexual exploitation, and boys and men for labour exploitation.

Nearly 20,000 individuals are trafficked every year, 80% of whom are women. The most common type is bonded labour, and an estimated 4.5 million workers are enslaved, primarily in Sindh and Punjab. More than 70% are children, pushed into brick kilns, agriculture, and domestic work.

Pakistani women and teenage girls are at high risk of transnational trafficking, with a prominent example being bride trafficking to China under the guise of false marriage promises.

In 2019, authorities arrested 10 Chinese nationals involved in such schemes. Fake jobs and study offers further expose women to trafficking, often leading to sexual violence. The recent gang rape of a girl in Sargodha, lured by a fake job abroad, highlights the crime's brutality.

Human smuggling vs human trafficking

Human trafficking is widespread in Pakistan but is often concealed and invisible. A pattern of human smuggling with origins, routes, and areas of concentration does exist, however.

The same reasons that are behind human trafficking, such as poverty and lack of human rights, are also behind human smuggling.

The human smuggling business in Pakistan began as a legal migration, initiated by the United Kingdom in the 1950s. However, things changed over time and people started turning to human smuggling networks to reach Europe through illegal means.

Approximately 35,000 illegal immigrants pass through Duk, Balochistan, monthly with the intention of onward migration towards Iran, Turkey, and Europe. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan puts the number of illegal immigrants from Pakistan at 80,000-100,000 per annum. Most of these migrants are from Punjab.

Snakes and ladders: The routes to perdition

In Punjab, smugglers are most active in Gujrat, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Kharian, Jhelum, Mirpur, and Sialkot. But Gujrat ranks as the most popular area among smugglers.

Human smugglers operate four key land routes, all passing through Balochistan. The most popular is the Nokundi route. The second runs from Karachi via the National Highway (N-25), or RCD Highway, into Iran’s Zahedan, then onward to Turkey and Europe. The third passes through Karachi, Lasbela, and Kech before reaching the Iranian border. The fourth runs from Quetta through western Balochistan to Iranian border towns like Taftan, Mashkel, and Rajay — major smuggling gateways into Iran, Turkey, and Europe.

Besides the land routes, people are also smuggled out of Pakistan via air and water routes. The water route is from the port of Gwadar via the Coastal Highway linking it with Karachi. The human cargo is loaded into boats at Pasni, Jiwani, Pishukan, or Surbandan. The boats are navigated through the Gulf of Oman and into Iran. The route continues from Iran into Turkey and ultimately ends in Europe.

Wealthier illegal immigrants with valid passports and visas often use air routes, which start legally but turn illegal later. The most common path runs from Karachi to Dubai and then Libya. From there, smugglers load migrants onto sea-going boats, transferring them to smaller vessels with poor-quality life jackets in the Mediterranean. Left to the mercy of the sea, many face fatal mishaps and drownings.

Social media: The hunting grounds

Smugglers openly hunt their victims through social media, especially Facebook and TikTok, using high-following accounts and groups. They lure targets with coded terms like "dunki" for boat crossings and "game" for the entire journey.

“Human smugglers post enticing videos that present an illusion of a better life, fostering hope and ultimately turning individuals into victims of their dark trade,” said Kausar.

While some individuals who choose to migrate to the West through human smugglers reach their destinations, others are either apprehended and deported or face tragic fates. Still, many are misled right from the start of their journey.

Laws: Efforts and challenges

Laws against human trafficking and smuggling exist. The first set of laws was the Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance (PACHTO), enforced in 2002. However, these laws applied solely to external or transnational trafficking. To expand the ambit of law and counter domestic trafficking as well, the government passed two more acts in 2018: the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act and the Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Act.

To fight both crimes well, the government recently approved three bills, amending the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act; the Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Act; and the Emigration Act.

These amendments extend jail terms for both crimes from a minimum of three years to seven. Fines increased from Rs0.5 million to Rs3 million, extendable to Rs5 million. As a result, repeat offenders now face from 10 to 14 years in prison, with fines going up from Rs1 million to Rs10 million, and potential confiscation of property.

"Over the past seven years, significant progress has been made in combating human trafficking and smuggling. The current government remains committed to this fight, strengthening detection and investigation systems that previously had major shortcomings," DPO Riaz concluded.

The government recently set up a task force to bust these networks and has compiled a list identifying 160 smugglers in Pakistan, complete with names and addresses, while 15 smugglers have been placed on both the Passport Control List and the Provisional National Immigration List (PNIL).

However, challenges exist, and the greatest challenge comes from elements within government agencies, who prove to be counterproductive to the gains made. While the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other law enforcement agencies have been mandated to check on human trafficking and smuggling, some black sheep within their ranks remain in cahoots with the traffickers and smugglers.

A government official, speaking anonymously, said, “The government's efforts are commendable but insufficient. This deep-rooted problem needs a sustained strategy, not knee-jerk reactions. Insider support allows trafficking and smuggling networks to thrive.”

“To dismantle human trafficking and smuggling networks, a thorough audit of all law enforcement agencies tasked with combating this menace is essential. Identifying and removing corrupt elements while preventing further infiltration is crucial. Without these measures, this shadowy industry will continue to thrive,” he told Geo.tv.

In 2024, FIA Lahore busted such a nexus between its officers and human smugglers, implicating more of its own than the smugglers arrested. The probe linked over 160 FIA employees to trafficking networks. The Interior Ministry also revealed that in the past three years, 51 FIA officials were dismissed for allegedly colluding with smugglers.

At the end of the road: The way forward

Weak laws and even weaker enforcement are the first loopholes that need plugging because they allow these groups to operate with near impunity. To ensure these crimes are eradicated, it is not only necessary to fire corrupt officers and provide the good ones with the necessary technology.

Educating the public is also necessary as they do not understand the psyche behind such crimes, and the current campaigns do not reach enough people, thus more awareness campaigns are needed. Outreach can be significantly improved through more public participation and the use of social and electronic media. With more people learning about these crimes, countering them and guarding vulnerable groups becomes easier.

Unless smugglers and traffickers' online networks — their hunting grounds that are replete with unsuspecting victims — are scrubbed off the face of the Internet, every endeavour to combat human smuggling will be in vain. These digital traps must be smashed, and those behind them must face the harshest reckoning.

Osama Ahmad is a staffer at Geo News. He posts on X  @OsamaAhmad432

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