Following directives from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched efforts to seize properties belonging to individuals involved in human trafficking, Dawn has reported.
This action, undertaken under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) 2010, targets suspects implicated in human trafficking and related cases, including those already in FIA custody. The AMLA empowers investigation officers to refer cases for property seizure to the anti-money laundering cell, which can obtain approval from a magistrate within days.
Last week, PM Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities to accelerate prosecutions against human traffickers, emphasizing the need to engage top legal professionals and collaborate with the law ministry. He also instructed the Foreign Office to liaise with relevant states to expedite the extradition of Pakistanis operating human trafficking networks abroad.
Sources in the land revenue departments of the Gujranwala region confirmed the confiscation of properties in districts including Gujrat, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, and Gujranwala, as most of the traffickers are from these areas.
An FIA source revealed that the first phase of this operation focuses on properties linked to traffickers involved in the recent Greek boat tragedy, which claimed the lives of at least 40 Pakistanis on December 14, 2024. Subsequent actions will target those involved in the June 2023 boat tragedy off the Libyan coast.
The authorities have identified several traffickers, including members of the Jajja network in Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot. In Mandi Bahauddin, properties of alleged trafficker Ashraf Saleemi and his associates in Hellan village are marked for seizure.
The FIA also arrested two more suspects connected to the Greece tragedy in Gujrat and Hafizabad districts. A senior FIA official identified the prime suspect as Imran Shakoor from Bhaddar village in Kharian tehsil, Gujrat. He was apprehended following the arrest of his accomplice, Zain Ali, in Hafizabad district.
In another case, Zafar Iqbal, a resident of Mandi Bahauddin, was arrested for allegedly extorting Rs. 700,000 from a man in exchange for a promise to send his son to Italy for employment.