More than 10,000 Iranian people who were deported have had their passports blocked by Pakistan

INN/Islamabad, @Infodeaofficial

Pakistan has blocked the passports of more than 10,000 of its residents who were deported from Iran after being apprehended while attempting to use the route to illegally reach Europe, Islamabad, Dec. 31. The action is part of the government’s campaign against illegal human traffickers in the nation, which was started after a boat carrying illegal immigrants collapsed in Greek territorial seas, killing over 40 Pakistanis.

The passports of 10,454 people have been blocked after being detained by Iranian officials for entering their country illegally, according to sources in Pakistan’s Interior Ministry. These people attempted to enter Iran over the porous borders of Balochistan in Pakistan. Europe was their ultimate destination. According to a ministry official “they were being trafficked by local handlers in Pakistan and Iran and had more contacts waiting to help them reach Europe illegally.”

“After their arrest, these individuals were handed over to Pakistani officials at the Taftan border in Balochistan’s Chagai district,” he said. The arrests demonstrate the startling number of persons who want to exit Pakistan illegally and travel through Iran to reach Europe. According to the Ministry of Interior, many more people have been arrested and deported from other nations, and their passports are currently being blocked.

According to sources, the passports of at least 2,470 people who were implicated in drug-related offenses in the United Arab Emirates, 1,500 people who were deported from Iraq, and more than 4,000 people who were imprisoned in Saudi Arabia have already had their passports blocked. The Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces of Pakistan are home to the majority of these people.

According to Syed Liaqat Banori, Chairman of the Society of Human Rights and Prisoners’ Aid (SHARP) Pakistan, “the majority of the people caught taking such a dangerous, unpredictable, and unconventional route are youngsters, including several minors.” It’s shocking to see that these people’s family condone their behavior despite being aware that it puts their lives in danger. Additionally, the people trafficking network is extensive and dispersed throughout several nations,” he said.

In Pakistan, the problem of human trafficking is not new. At least 8,272 Pakistanis were detained in Iran in 2023 for breaking in through the borders of Balochistan. Information reveals that at least five districts—Kech, Gwadar, Chagai, Washuk, and Panjgur—all along Balochistan’s Iranian border are used for the illicit migration of Pakistanis. “Between 2020 and 2024, over 62,000 Pakistani citizens, primarily from Punjab province, were arrested for illegally entering into Iran from Pakistan,” says Banori.

Since thousands of these illegal immigrants have been deported from nations like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and several others for engaging in illegal activities like drug peddling, begging, etc., the problem of human trafficking has become a significant embarrassment for Pakistan.