Committee takes notice over Pakistanis jailed in Bosnia

ISLAMABAD: The ministry of foreign affairs has decided to form a parliamentary committee of overseas Pakistan to address the issue of 4,000 Pakistanis detained in Bosnia this week.

The Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development was surprised to learn that illegal immigrants from Pakistan wanted to live in prison thinking they might gain legal status in Europe someday.

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The foreign ministry told members at its last meeting that most Pakistanis were asylum seekers who ripped their visas, also suffered severe difficulties in prisons, and declined voluntary repatriation or assistance from Pakistani missions.

The foreign office spoke about the reported 4,000 Pakistanis incarcerated in Vucjak, Bosnia Herzegovina’s Jungle Migrants Prison. The camp is about 400 kilometers from the Pakistani mission.

The committee was surprised to learn that there were no resources from the Bosnian government to look after the prisoners. There is still no confirmation of the exact number of Pakistani immigrants.

Approximately 400 cases of human trafficking were sent to the FIA for an inquiry by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis.

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Members of the committee said many approved travel agencies were involved in human trafficking, exporting people to cartels overseas who coerced refugees to do low pay work.