Human Smuggling

By .Rana Jameel Ahmad Yazdani

World of Trafficking: The Harsh Realities

According to the international laws of travel, the journey of those who carry recreational and natural belongings on their vessel, adorned with extravagant desires worth two and a half million dollars, life jackets, and insurance for life, is met with the aspirations of others. The painful journey of illegal immigrants, filled with young souls, is devoid of life jackets and any semblance of life. In the realm of both insurance and social status, they meet their fate in the dark depths of the sea, as if they have purchased death. The country with the tankers learned a lesson from the tragic incident, while the country with the sinking boat merely showcased its grief.

On this planet Earth, humans have divided themselves based on various magnificent creations, laying the foundation of nations or states through social and geographical divisions. In these paths, laws of entry and exit, both internal and external, are established according to the convenience and necessities of one state to another. Penalties have been prescribed for those who violate these laws. Yet, humans, in an illegal manner, traverse from one country to another, disregarding the laws of both nations. Human smugglers play the biggest role in facilitating this violation. Human smuggling takes the form of a violation against human rights, directly impacting the lives of ordinary individuals. It is a direct violation of human rights!

In Pakistan as well, human smuggling is a complex social issue that involves various factors. Most of my friends consider human smuggling an international problem, but in reality, smuggling is much closer to our homes than we think. The most significant reason for this is the ineffective practical wisdom of the rulers, which has led to an unemployment rate of almost 20% among the country's youth. These young people spend a significant part of their lives in experimental activities and negative engagements. Among them, most young people choose to risk their lives and go abroad, considering it an easy solution to escape economic pressure. Employment, marriage, and improving financial conditions are the dreams that first encounter someone close to their family, a friend or acquaintance, who introduces them to organized human smugglers. These smugglers reveal various routes by sea and air in different countries, using political asylum, marriage, education, business, and jobs as attractive illusions, along with counterfeit documents. They extract a hefty sum in exchange for forging passports and cover the expenses of travel. A significant number of these young people who travel on unsafe maritime routes of illegal border crossings do not reach their destinations.

Note: The provided translation is an attempt to capture the meaning of the text, but it may not be a perfect representation of the original language.

"Some travelers do not face any difficulties and manage to overcome certain challenges. However, they often encounter the interference of foreign security agencies when they reach another country. They are subject to the laws and regulations of that country, which can be quite different. These human smugglers operate in most countries around the world, forming an organized network similar to a spider's web. They engage in smuggling not only for monetary gain but also for acquiring atomic secrets of other countries and valuable items.

In Pakistan, there are laws in place to address this issue. The Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Act 2018, Passport Act 1974, Immigration Ordinance 1979, Foreigners Act 1946, and other relevant laws exist. However, their implementation is often overlooked, which boosts the morale of smugglers. Similarly, there are laws related to human smuggling in other countries as well, but still, news about human smuggling dominates the headlines worldwide.

Some of these news stories force the world to ponder that human smuggling can take place in such innovative ways. Despite efforts to prevent human smuggling using modern technology worldwide, smugglers remain highly vigilant and employ methods that leave people astounded.

The stories of captured individuals in different countries adorn the pages of newspapers, revealing the deteriorating state of peace, security, poverty, and unemployment in their own countries. Some individuals even change their religion or beliefs for political asylum, while others get caught up in false stories and fabricated documents to tarnish the reputation of their own country, aiming to acquire citizenship in the United States or another country through negative propaganda.

In Pakistan, human smuggling is on the rise, but young people from places like Gujar Khan, Khariyan, Mandi Bahauddin, Sraialamgir, Mirpur, and their villages take the risk to embark on dangerous journeys. They choose perilous routes, and initially, smugglers used to take them to Eastern Mediterranean Route to reach Europe, which connects Balochistan, Iran, Turkey, and Greece. However, due to certain incidents, this route has been closed, and a new maritime route has been adopted. This route extends from Libyan Islands, Italy, Sardinia, Albania, to the Gulf of Taranto and Greek Islands. Countless young individuals have successfully reached Europe from these islands. However, in Karachi and Hyderabad, young people opt for legal routes, mostly using the platforms of political parties. People's Party, MQM, and some religious groups are involved. During military operations, hundreds of young people sought political asylum in Europe, America, Africa, etc.

But here, I am sharing news about youth smuggling, which is an astonishing and peculiar phenomenon that has been going on systematically for a long time. To reach America, human smuggling follows such an extensive process that can be termed as modern-age slavery. I had to pursue them for a long time until I finally reached the human smugglers' group. I started my investigation and found out that every child born on American soil automatically obtains permanent citizenship. Based on this foundation, some Pakistani-American families bring Pakistan to the US through their American-born children. Some agents have pre-arranged agreements with individuals. Then, they arrange marriages with girls from the families arriving from the US, in exchange for millions of rupees. The entire cost of the marriage is borne by the groom.