10,000 Pakistanis stranded in Cambodia, Burma forests, NA body told

ISLAMABAD: In a shocking revelation, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Rights has been told that at least 10,000 Pakistanis are currently trapped in the forests of  Cambodia and Burma.

The Committee, chaired by the MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza, was briefed on Tuesday by the additional secretary of the Interior Ministry.

These victims of organized human trafficking networks are reportedly being forced into illegal logging, agricultural labour, and drug trafficking.

According to the official that the information has been received through the Pakistani mission in Kuala Lumpur. The committee has summoned a brief report from both the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the upcoming meetings.

The committee was also briefed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on its steps to halt human trafficking. The FIA Additional DG Abbas Ahsan told the committee that 12 FIA officials have been arrested in connection with the human traffickers, including action against four grade 20-level officials.

“We have frozen agents’ bank accounts worth over Rs 720 million, many of which were held in the names of relatives,” the FIA official stated.

The Agency has barred over 24000 Pakistanis in preventive measures and has now established direct contact with the European Union and other international partners to clamp down on these criminal networks.