Pakistan blacklists 50,000 individuals, including human smugglers

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry has blacklisted more than 50,000 individuals involved in criminal activities, including human smuggling, amid rising incidents of Pakistanis drowning in the Mediterranean after their boats sank.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) shared details of thousands of people who used illegal migration routes to enter European countries, according to sources who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media. As a result, the Interior Ministry placed their names on the no-fly list.

The move follows a 2024 boat disaster off Greece's coast, in which 48 Pakistanis were on board. After the incident, law enforcement agencies submitted a report to the prime minister, highlighting the causes of illegal migration, the routes used, and the methods employed by human smugglers.

According to the report, many Pakistani migrants travel through Iran to reach Turkey before crossing into Europe. However, as Turkey tightened its border controls, alternative routes have emerged.

“Libyan routes have also gained prominence as the European Union implemented stringent measures,” the report stated. “Illegal migrants increasingly reach Libya either by air with legal documents through the UAE or by land via Egypt.”

Investigators revealed that the North African nations of Senegal and Mauritania have become key transit points for illegal migration to Europe due to visa-free entry for Pakistani passport holders. From Senegal’s capital, Dakar, migrants are transported to Mauritania’s coastal city of Nouakchott, where they embark on dangerous sea journeys to the Canary Islands, Spain.

Smuggling networks are also facilitating illegal migration to the United States via China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Myanmar, charging fees as high as 20 million rupees ($71,000).

The report further stated that human smuggling networks operate with the complicity of some law enforcement personnel.