GUJRAT: As per the recent instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has started the process of confiscating properties of those involved in human trafficking. Sunrise has learned.
The action, initiated under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) 2010, primarily targets people accused of human trafficking and other related cases, as well as suspects already in FIA custody.
The AMLA gives investigating officers the power to send a referral for seizure of a suspect’s property to the anti-money laundering cell at the directorate level, which can then initiate the process by obtaining the consent of the magistrate concerned in some cases. a few days.
Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed the officials concerned to expedite the prosecution process against all those involved in human trafficking effectively.
He ordered authorities to appoint senior lawyers for the prosecution in consultation with the Ministry of Justice, and tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact relevant states to expedite the extradition of Pakistanis suspected of running trafficking operations. of people abroad.
Sources in the local land revenue department of various districts of Gujranwala region confirmed the seizure of properties in their respective districts.
An FIA source said that initially, the properties and assets of human traffickers involved in the recent Greek ship tragedy would be seized in the first phase, followed by similar actions against those involved in the June 2023 ship tragedy, off the coast of Libya. since these incidents had caused the death of dozens of illegal immigrants who were trying to travel to Europe.
Official sources explained that assets were being seized in Sialkot, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Gujranwala districts as most of the traffickers came from these cities in central Punjab.
The authorities have already identified the human traffickers belonging to the Jajja network from the Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot. In Mandi Bahauddin, alleged human trafficker Ashraf Saleemi and his associates in Hellan village and other similar officers were among those whose properties were marked for confiscation by the FIA.
The FIA claimed to have arrested at least two more human traffickers involved in the recent tragedy in Greece, which claimed the lives of at least 40 Pakistanis on December 14, 2024.
The arrests were made in Gujrat and Hafizabad districts by the FIA crime ring in Gujrat.
According to a senior FIA official, the main suspect in the human trafficking racket was identified as Imran Shakoor, a resident of Bhaddar village in Kharian tehsil of Gujrat.
The official said the suspect was successfully located and arrested after his accomplice Zain Ali was already arrested in the same case in Sukheki area of Hafizabad district last Saturday.
Another alleged human trafficker, Zafar Iqbal, a resident of Mandi Bahauddin, was arrested for allegedly extorting Rs 700,000 from a man who promised to send his son to Italy to work abroad.
Published in Amanecer, January 14, 2025.
