The recent firing of 35 officers from Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) due to their involvement in a human trafficking case highlights an urgent issue that is impacting not only Pakistan and South Asia, but also the Mediterranean and Europe. The FIA made a declaration on New Year’s Day stating that these officers were terminated due to their role in a migrant boat disaster near the Greek island of Gavdos in mid-December. Tragically, at least five migrants lost their lives when the wooden boat they used to sail from Libya capsized in the Mediterranean, while 39 others were rescued by nearby cargo ships.
A majority of those rescued were Pakistani citizens, prompting an internal probe into the potential involvement of FIA employees working at the country’s major exit points, including airports in Faisalabad, Sialkot, Lahore, Islamabad, and Quetta. This investigation has raised important questions about the role Pakistani authorities and institutions play in global human trafficking cases, an issue that has come to the direct notice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The small island of Gavdos, located south of Greece’s largest island, Crete, has become a key entry point for migrants seeking to enter Europe. In 2023 alone, 262 Pakistanis tragically lost their lives while attempting to reach the island, a disaster similar to that of December last year. The Hellenic Coast Guard believes that these crossings, one of three attempted in the same week, all originated from Libya.
Evidence suggests a complex trafficking network that begins in Pakistan, passes through North Africa, and ultimately ends in Europe by sea. This raises concerns of collusion by officials in both Pakistan and Libya. Initial arrests have revealed the profitability of these operations, with two suspects extorting over $25,000 from just three victims of the tragedy.
The United Nations recently released a report on global human trafficking, revealing a 25 percent increase in the number of victims worldwide in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. South Asia was identified as a hub for trafficking, with victims from the region found in 36 countries globally. The majority of these victims were women or children trafficked for sexual exploitation or forced labor, a problem that has haunted Pakistan for decades.
Pakistan is infamous for cases of bride trafficking involving over 600 women and girls who were deceived with the promise of a better life across the border in China. Instead, they were subjected to abuse, forced pregnancies, and forced prostitution. When these cases first emerged in 2019, the government, fearing that an investigation could harm relations with China and end potential investment projects, dismissed them. Pakistan is once again under scrutiny for human trafficking, this time facing a more systemic issue, with the full extent of FIA complicity in these operations yet to be revealed.
In the past, there have been connections between those involved in human trafficking and other Pakistani state agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), which has also been linked to cross-border insurgencies in Afghanistan and Kashmir, as well as drug trafficking cases in India’s Punjab.
The FIA now stands at a crucial crossroads as it continues its efforts to arrest human traffickers while dealing with corruption within its own ranks. Recent investigations have uncovered widespread fraud, with alleged human traffickers taking large sums of money from individuals hoping to migrate to Europe or the Middle East, before disappearing with the money.
In response to these developments, Sharif has called for a comprehensive nationwide awareness campaign in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The campaign aims to educate Pakistanis about the legal avenues for migration and employment abroad, ensuring they are informed of safer, lawful alternatives to prevent them from falling prey to traffickers. However, more concrete actions will be needed to dismantle the human trafficking infrastructure, especially if it is being supported by state elements.
As for the perpetrators, Sharif has called for significant crackdowns and punishments for anyone found guilty of human trafficking, especially state officials. Under the 2010 Anti-Money Laundering Act, the FIA has already begun the process of seizing the properties of those involved in such operations. Of the 35 officers dismissed for their involvement in human trafficking, criminal cases have been opened against 13 so far, with the government keen to make an example out of state employees aiding and abetting the traffickers.
While this action shows the government’s desire to tackle corruption and complicity in such crimes, it remains to be seen how deeply the problem runs and whether effective reform can be implemented to prevent recurring offenses. There is also the added concern that the politicization of the FIA through several civilian governments and military regimes has significantly weakened the agency’s ability to function effectively.
The implications for counterterrorism must also be considered. In 2024, Pakistan faced its deadliest year for terrorist attacks and fatalities in a decade, with no sign of the violence abating in the near future. For groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), lax security checks at Pakistan’s exit points raise the prospect of extending operations internationally. Such an opportunity would also likely not be ignored by the Islamic State Khorasan Province.
Without comprehensive reform to tackle corruption in Pakistan, terrorists will seek to exploit human trafficking networks connecting Pakistan to North Africa and onto Europe. Such a scenario could allow for the Islamic State, al-Qaida, and both of their affiliates to restart their campaigns of terror in Europe. This adds a dangerous new dimension to the trafficking crisis facing Pakistan, with the potential for it to accelerate the global export of terrorism from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
The human trafficking crisis in Pakistan has reached a critical juncture. Recent tragedies have not only exposed endemic corruption within the state’s institutions but have also highlighted the broader regional and global implications of these operations. The dismissal and subsequent arrest of 35 FIA officers for their involvement in human trafficking operations suggest a systemic problem within Pakistani law enforcement that urgently needs to be addressed. The stakes are even higher with the potential for terrorist groups to exploit these vulnerabilities within the state.
