By Azaz Syed & Sher Ali Khalti
Published in The News on January 19, 2025
LAHORE: Following the Mauritanian boat tragedy, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has uncovered a human-trafficking network in Gujrat involving a woman named Ghulam Fatima and her three sons.
The FIA officials arrested Fatima and her one son, Farhan, and completed interrogation, revealing a novel trafficking route passing through Senegal, a departure from the previously used paths through the UAE, Egypt, and Libya, The News learnt here on Saturday.
Human-trafficking and illegal migration has become a big challenge for Pakistan. In less than two months, almost 80 men, mostly in their youth, died abroad attempting to illegally enter Europe. In year 2023, a similar boat accident took the lives of almost 40 Pakistanis including teenagers. Each time the government and the FIA made big claims but failed. Ninety per cent trafficking victims come from districts of Jhelum, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujranwala and Sialkot. The FIA itself is accused of secretly collaborating with traffickers. Recently, at least 38 junior FIA immigration officials were removed, but action against senior Police Service officers serving in the FIA is still pending.
According to FIA officials, Fatima admitted to working with her three sons to facilitate illegal migration to Europe. Her sons allegedly orchestrated travel plans for individuals attempting to enter Europe, with one son, Khawar, previously escorting 10 people to Senegal. Another son, Hassan, resides in Italy, while the third son has been arrested. Investigators have frozen Fatima’s bank accounts and confiscated her mobile phone as part of the probe.
Fatima admitted to handling substantial sums directly from migrants and managing financial transactions through her sons’ accounts. Analysis of data from her mobile phone proved invaluable to the investigation. Her arrest, kept confidential to maintain investigative secrecy, occurred in the village of Jhoda. Following the inquiry, Fatima was placed under judicial custody.
The boat tragedy occurred on January 16 when a vessel carrying 86 migrants capsized en route from Mauritania to Spain. Among the victims, 66 were identified as Pakistani nationals. Moroccan authorities managed to rescue 36 people, while the remaining passengers are presumed dead, as confirmed by the Pakistan embassy.
The tragic boat incident occurred as victims were promised entry into Spain from Mauritania but were instead left to perish at sea after conflicts with local smugglers over additional payments. The new pathway exploited Senegal’s relatively easy visa process, charging hopeful migrants between Rs2.5 to Rs4 million each.
Authorities have confiscated a luxury vehicle recently purchased by the Fatima family, suspecting it was acquired through the proceeds of trafficking.
The FIA, under the leadership of Gujranwala’s Director Qamar and Gujarat’s Deputy Director Bilal Tariq, filed three separate cases, one in Gujranwala and 2 in Gujrat, respectively.
The probe also implicated 20 FIA officials from major airports in Lahore, Karachi and Faisalabad, who allegedly cleared travel documents for the victims. In a statement on Saturday, an FIA spokesperson said the agency had initiated a probe against its 20 officials over suspicions of their involvement in human smuggling. It added that the officials had allegedly cleared the victims of the boat at airports. The suspected officials include eight from Faisalabad airport and six each from Karachi and Lahore airports. In a related operation, the FIA arrested another suspected human-smuggler from Bhimber in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Investigations indicate that the Fatima-led gang began operating in Mauritania in March 2024, setting up safe houses and facilitating illegal migration to Spain through Morocco. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar has directed the foreign and interior ministries to provide prompt assistance to the victims and their families. Authorities are also investigating the involvement of traffickers linked to the June 2023 Greek boat tragedy and other smuggling networks operating in the region.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Embassy officials, led by the mission head Rabia Kasuri in Morocco, are working on identifying survivors and addressing legal complexities in repatriation of bodies. In the light of prime minister’s directives, a high-level four-member committee, including officials from the FIA and IB, is set to reach Morocco shortly to expedite the investigation.
The intricate case spans multiple countries — including Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco — and challenges the authorities to dismantle a complex underworld network of human traffickers.
