The unprecedented economic crisis in the country is taking tollon human lives. The double-digit inflation and joblessness, among other problems, have led to the spread of the heinous business of human trafficking in the country.

The victims are mostly poor and middle-class youth, who are migrating to foreign countries, especially European countries, through illegal means and unknown routes in the hope of a better life. Human traffickers extort millions of rupees from them by promising them jobs and send them out of the country. The forced people who go there fall victim to accidents on the way or are arrested for illegal entry upon reaching the respective country and languish in jails for years.  According to an estimate, more than a thousand criminal networks are associated with this heinous business in Pakistan, the illegal business of which has exceeded one billion dollars. Criminal human traffickers are openly ensnaring innocent and naive youth in their nets and extorting huge sums of money from them. Among the youth who want to go abroad illegally, only a few lucky ones manage to reach their destination, while most of the youth fall victim to the waves of the sea or are arrested and deported. The actual number of Pakistanis going abroad illegally can be estimated from the fact that over 400,000 Pakistanis have been deported to Pakistan from different countries in the last few years.

Human traffickers are such a cruel mafia that extort money from the poor people by showing them false and golden dreams and these people buy their death by giving money. The stories of Pakistani youth who drowned in the sea while trying to go abroad illegally or died in containers for hours are so tragic that it makes one shiver when hearing them. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its recent report expressed concern about human trafficking in Pakistan and said that human trafficking has engulfed the entire country in Pakistan and if it is not controlled, this economic disease will become an epidemic in the near future. According to the reports of international organizations related to human trafficking, while on the one hand Pakistan is being defamed at the global level, on the other hand a large number of people who go abroad illegally are losing their precious lives, which is certainly a moment of reflection. In recent years, hundreds of people who were going to Italy and Greece in boats via Libya have perished at sea. Thus, hundreds of families have been destroyed so far, who sold their livestock and lands and paid compensation of four to six million rupees each to human traffickers and also lost their loved ones.  The Sukkur Sessions Judge has taken notice of the negligence of government officials in the death of 75 people in a Greek boat accident and has summoned the Prime Minister, Interior Minister and Foreign Minister to court on January 15. The government itself is also concerned about this situation and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a review meeting to prevent human trafficking, which was held under his chairmanship, has strictly directed that action be taken against government officials facilitating human trafficking, their properties and assets should be confiscated and they should be made an example of.  

He also directed that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting should launch an awareness campaign to adopt only legal methods for jobs abroad, strict punitive measures should be taken for disciplinary action and the Foreign Office should contact the relevant countries for the early extradition of Pakistanis involved in human trafficking from abroad to Pakistan. The Prime Minister appreciated the FIA's campaign against government officials aiding human traffickers and directed that the prosecution process against such individuals should be made more effective.  The screening process of those going abroad at airports should be made more effective. Such technical institutions should be promoted that can provide trained professionals to the foreign market as per the requirements of the present era.  In the meeting, the Prime Minister was briefed on the progress made in legislation to stop human trafficking and it was also told what steps have been taken in this regard so far.  Smuggling, whether of goods or human lives, is a scourge that needs to be uprooted. Along with this, steps should also be taken that will provide employment to the youth within the country.  At present, skilled and educated people are turning to foreign countries due to lack of employment. If this situation continues, there will be a shortage of such people within the country, which will cause serious losses to the country's economy.  No country that desires economic development can afford brain drain. Pakistan is currently facing economic difficulties, it should not allow such a situation to arise. The punitive measures against human traffickers in this regard should be strictly implemented. One should also take advantage of employment abroad, but only through legal means. As 2024 approached, another tragedy was reported. The death of 5 Pakistanis as a result of a boat full of illegal immigrants sinking off the coast of Greece in the past few days has left every Pakistani sad and shocked. 76 Pakistanis on board 3 boats were going to Greece from Tobruk in Libya, but due to the large number of passengers, the boats met with an accident. The unfortunate Pakistanis who died belonged to Sialkot, Gujarat and Mandi Bahauddin.

This is not the first incident of a boat sinking of illegal immigrants, but such tragic incidents have been happening continuously for the past several years in which many people have lost their lives while trying to illegally go to Europe.  In June 2023, dozens of Pakistanis lost their lives as a result of a boat full of illegal immigrants sinking near the coast of Greece, while earlier in early 2023, 100 people, including Pakistanis, died as a result of a boat sinking off the coast of Italy. In recent days, due to the poor law and order situation, poverty and unemployment in the country, there has been an increase in the tendency of youth to go abroad and these youth, who are considered the architects of the country, are risking their lives to go abroad illegally for a better future and employment.  The majority of them belong to Gujarat, Jhelum, Bahawalpur, Mandi Bahauddin and other cities. Seeing that the economic conditions of a family in the neighborhood have improved due to the members of that family going abroad, the people of these areas also encourage their young sons to go abroad out of greed and these youth fall into the hands of agents involved in human trafficking who, by showing them a dream of a better future and deceiving them to take them abroad illegally, extort huge amounts of money from them. It is gratifying that on the instructions of the Govt, the names of smugglers and agents involved in human trafficking have been put on the ECL, while orders have also been issued to seize the properties of smugglers and agents. In addition, for the first time in Pakistan's history, 35 FIA officers and officials involved in crimes with human smugglers have been dismissed after the deaths of Pakistanis in the sinking of an illegal migrant boat in Greece, which is a strong message to criminals, which will not only discourage human trafficking but also prevent such incidents from happening in the future. Parents should also realize their responsibilities and discourage their young children from going abroad illegally so that tomorrow they cannot hold themselves responsible for their deaths.