Over 154,000 Pakistanis deported in the last three years

Pakistan's deteriorating economic situation has led to a significant increase in migration, with people from nearly every segment of society seeking opportunities abroad.

Many, driven by desperation, resort to illegal methods to leave the country, only to face deportation or be caught even before their journey begins.

According to figures from the Ministry of Interior, between 2021 and 2023, about 154,205 Pakistani nationals were deported from various countries due to illegal entry, averaging 4,280 deportations per month. Additionally, over the past three years, 44,000 individuals were offloaded.

The data shows that 58,758 Pakistanis were deported in 2021, followed by 51,869 in 2022, and 43,578 in 2023. In the same period, 17,773 individuals were deported from 19 European countries.

In 2021, the number of deportees from Europe was 17,773, which dropped to 12,837 in 2022 and further decreased to 3,666 in 2023.

Data compiled by the Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment.

Senior officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) attribute this decline in 2023 to the high deportation rates in previous years, which discouraged many from attempting illegal migration.

Nadeem Shahzad, Director of the FIA Islamabad zone, explained to Nukta that many individuals complete their paperwork to travel to Gulf or Central Asian countries as transit destinations. From there, they attempt to enter other countries without proper documentation, leading to deportation either at the transit destination or in the destination country.

In addition to deportations, the FIA offloaded more than 44,000 people using fake documents between 2021 and 2023. In 2023 alone, there were 281 complaints related to human trafficking, but only 191 FIRs were filed, and 240 traffickers were identified. Of those, only 90 human traffickers were arrested.

'Trafficking often an insider job'

When asked if human trafficking is an inside job, former FIA Karachi Director Aamir Farooqui explained that trafficking is often enabled by insider assistance. "They have a well-organized system. Traffickers track different airports and the staff working there, taking advantage of their shifts."

Although the FIA takes action, suspending staff and conducting inquiries, dismantling these trafficking networks remains a significant challenge. Farooqui also compared human trafficking to money laundering, noting that both operate in complex layers across different countries.

Even with a valid visa and boarding pass, individuals are often barred from boarding a plane and are offloaded. According to Farooqui, "There are no specific standard operating procedures that the FIA follows, except for the passenger data that informs FIA officials how many times a person has traveled, to which destinations, and the duration of their stays."

In many cases, individuals frequently travel back and forth, and it is later revealed that they are part of international begging syndicates. These groups often travel to Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, under the guise of performing Umrah.

Suspected individuals are questioned, and based on the information they provide and the documents they present, FIA officials decide whether to allow them to proceed or offload them. Interestingly, Farooqui also noted that, in addition to the data, "appearance also matters".