ISLAMABAD: In a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, the Interior Ministry warned that the threat of a possible ban on Pakistani passports by the UAE and Saudi Arabia has recently been averted, but the situation is still critical. According to officials, the UAE has imposed an undeclared ban on visas on ordinary Pakistani passport holders, while visas are being provided to diplomatic and blue passport holders.
According to the Interior Ministry, a neighbouring country has been revealed to have interfered in Pakistan’s passport system and issued passports on fake identities, due to which not only Saudi Arabia deported thousands of Pakistanis but also weakened Pakistan’s international credibility. Among them were several Afghan citizens who were residing with Pakistani identity cards.
The meeting was informed that there are 21,647 Pakistani prisoners in 61 countries, most of whom are involved in overstay, identity fraud, or petty financial crimes. According to the ministry, Pakistani citizens are not involved in murder, terrorism, or organized crime.
Committee Chairperson Samina Mumtaz said that despite the serious situation of human trafficking, awareness campaigns at the local level are lacking. She expressed concern that there are no banners at airports to inform passengers about the dangers, while gangs issuing fake degrees are targeting youth across the country.
The Home Secretary said that most of the human trafficking networks are being run from cities in Punjab — Gujrat, Wazirabad, Sheikhupura and Lahore. Smugglers charge Rs 4.5 to 5 million on the pretext of transporting youth to Europe and after sending them through illegal routes, they are subjected to forced labor.
He said that Pakistan has collected digital data of 180 million to 200 million citizens, which is further tightening the crackdown on fake identities. However, international law does not make it easy to provide legal assistance to Pakistanis stranded in many countries.
