Blackist dozens of officers after the death of Pakistan’s sacks, the Mediterranean Sea. Migration news

Islamabad, Pakistan – When Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday removed Ahmed Ishaq Jahangir from his post as the head of the country’s federal investigative agency (FIA), he was the highest in a comprehensive organizational purification after the death of at least 43 Pakistanis. Profiles were casualties. The coast of Morocco first in January.

The drowning incident came to light on 15 January, when Moroccan officials rescued 36 people trapped in the Mediterranean Sea for 13 days. At least 37 others, including many Pakistan, are missing.

Just four weeks before that, Greek authorities and business naval ships carried out four separate rescue missions near the Greek shore, which saved at least 200 people, while nearly 50 died, at least of them at least of them. 40 Pakistanis.

These incidents have set up a rare crack on the officers who have been tasked to stop the human trafficking network by the Sharif -led government, which attract Pakistanis from rural towns and villages with a dream of life in Europe, And take them to dangerous, illegal migration routes. So far, death in the Mediterranean Sea water ends in death and tragedy.

Before the removal of Jahangir, around 50 FIA officials were dismissed for alleged negligence related to both Greece and Morocco incidents. Additionally, the FIA ​​said that after a government investigation, more than 50 officers were blacklisted by serving in any immigration posts or anti-human smuggling units across the country, while several arrests were targeted by those persons. Was who facilitated the human trafficking network.

These steps follow the growing criticism of the government to fail to destroy the human trafficking racket and for the inability to clarify the lives of those citizens for a risky journey in Europe in violation of migration laws Feel forced.

A senior government official, who is part of the task force constituted by Sharif, said that the Prime Minister was now looking forward to the government’s curiosity.

“Premier is taking these events very seriously. He realizes the implication and iconic damage to the country, as well as a tragedy that suffers families of those who die or get trapped in countries far and wide, ”the officer told Al Jazira, Requested not to print the name.

“We have not only improved our border screening, but are also focusing on enforcement and prosecution. Now, to get someone out of Pakistan is going to be a difficult task, ”the officer claimed.

A long history of migration

This is easy, as recently died of Morocco – despite the ongoing rift of Sharif administration – show.

Pakistanis tried to migrate to European countries, not a new incident. After the construction of Pakistan’s major hydroelectric project, Mangla Dam, the trend began more than six decades ago.

The initial wave of migrants included displaced people by the construction of the dam. He was compensated by Pakistani and British governments, allowing him to move to the United Kingdom.

Most of the Punjab, Pakistan’s most rich and populated provinces have come, especially from cities like Gujarat, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin and Faisalbad.

A 2023 research report by the National Commission (NCR), an autonomous state body for Parliament, has revealed that the same districts that contribute heavy to the legal migration, also look at some of the highest examples of uninterrupted migration.

The report said, “Between 1981 and 2021, in the top 20 districts contributing to 50 percent of the total labor outflow from Pakistan, 13 are in Punjab, six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one in Sindh, especially Karachi,” .

While Central Punjab has experienced economic development due to its fertile land and industrial expansion, the migration from the region continued – often illegally – after European countries tightened their border control at the turn of the century.

According to Frontex data, more than 150,000 Pakistanis have entered European countries using land and sea routes since the European Union border and Coastguard Agency, since 2009.

The land routes were more common in the 2010s when Pakistan’s economic migrants used to travel dangerous on foot, sometimes for months. However, as the crackdown intensified, the routes developed.

While in the last decade, refugees were seen in Europe from Afghanistan and Syria, two countries had been facing long struggle, and from some African countries, Pakistan’s migration numbers were relatively consistent, to enter Europe every year On average, on average, 10,000 unwanted unlocked Pakistanis were entering Europe, near the 10,000 unlocked Pakistanis, each year. For frontax.

After the Covid-19 epidemic in 2020, the new migration route emerged, making it difficult for Pakistani authorities to detect unspecified passengers.

About 300 Pakistan died or declared missing in the Adrian boat disaster in the Mediterranean in June 2023. The families told Al Jazeera that their sons had moved from Pakistan to Dubai, then Cairo, before they made their way to Libya for a boat journey to Europe.

And if that route was tall, Pakistanis dying from Morocco in January were even more circuit: a road trip to Mauritania to Mauritania from Pakistan to Dubai, then Ethiopia, again Senegal, and finally, to Mauritania to Mauritania Started.

Munir Masood Maratha, a senior FIA officer, said that it is not easy to stop the operation of human smugglers, which manage a huge network in many countries, because on the surface, on the surface, immigrants do not always come as “illegal”: their Documents travel out of Pakistan are valid, and the authorities have no safe way to know what they want to do after landing in their first destination.

“People now travel on a completely valid field. He has a valid passport, a valid visa and a ticket. There is no reason to stop him at the airport, “he told Al Jazeera in a recent conversation in his office.

But the Adriana disaster was a major turn, the government official said in Sharif’s task force. The fishing traler was carrying around 700 people, away from the Greek coast near Pilos. Only 104 people survived, including 12 Pakistan.

“After the 2023 incident, we took a difficult look at our operation and started a large -scale crack. The results are now visible in the decreasing number of Pakistanis who have left the country, ”he said.

Statistics appear to support this claim. According to FIA data, around 19,000 people were prevented from leaving Pakistan in 2022, in which most of the land routes were intercepted.

In contrast, the Maratha of the FIA ​​stated that, collectively, in 2023 and 2024, 70,000 people were stopped from leaving Pakistan. The frontax data also shows a decline of nearly 50 percent in the number of Pakistanis who reached Europe in 2024, which was about 5,000 compared to 10,000 a year ago.

Still Marath, who had recently returned from Morocco after investigating the latest tragedy, also admitted that smugglers were identifying and using new routes in a cat-and-mouse game with officials.

Therefore, he said, the government is now increasing the system of monitoring and detection on the major exit points of the country.

“We profile passengers by looking at their travel history and social and educational background. If a person’s destination has minimal cultural or people with people with Pakistan with egyptians, ethiopia, or Senegal-African countries-this increases the alarm bells, ”he explained.

Social driver

According to the Contex, Pakistan has ranked between 10 consecutive countries or closely, whose citizens have demanded entry into Europe through irregular means in the last decade.

While the country’s economy was seen on the verge of default in the last two years, inflation reached 38 percent and poverty rate in 39 percent in mid -2023, the government stressed that economic difficulty is not the only reason for migration.

Officials argue that social pressure plays a more important role.

Maratha, which is a district from Mandi Bahauddin itself, from where irregular stay is common, said that the influence of the family and colleagues were the main drivers behind the dangerous trips.

“In most cases, the families themselves urge their members to find a way to reach Europe,” he said.

“It becomes a matter of competition. If a neighbor has two sons in Italy and has bought a car and renewed their house, others feel pressure to do so, either by going to themselves or sending to their sons, ”he said.

Recently, the Morocco incident consisted of relatively well -closed families, including business owners and former experiences working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Maratha said that when the Gulf nations including UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are hosting a big Pakistani migrants, for many people, they aim to follow their cousins ​​who are in European countries.

“Going to Gulf countries is usually a backup plan. Dream is Europe. Being a family or friend makes it easier, ”Maratha explained.

A changing landscape

The recent crack on the officials indicates the government’s intention, the senior government official of Sharif’s task force suggested.

“There are clearly different factors, but the important thing is that we recognize them, and we are working to fix things.”

He said that thousands of Pakistan were stranded in Libya, and the government was working towards their repatriation.

“Libya is a challenge due to the lack of an organized government, with different factions controlling different fields. If they still try to cross in Europe, it would be difficult to bring them back, ”he said. “But for others who try to leave Pakistan for this purpose, we are hopeful about breaking up human trafficking.”

However, FIA official, Marath, said that in addition to improving enforcement and training for FIA employees, it was equally important to sensitize and provide awareness to those who put their lives “deliberately”.

“People pay smugglers anywhere between 2.5 to 3.5 million rupees ($ 8,900 to $ 12,500). Instead of risking your life, why not use that money to build a future here? He asked.