A growing number of young men from Landi Kotal have been arrested at the Bulgaria-Turkey border while attempting to illegally cross into Europe after entering Turkey on work permits. Sources reveal that Turkish work visas are being misused by a well-organized human trafficking network operating between Pakistan and Turkey.
Reliable insiders report that, following stricter regulations on visit visas, illegal agents involved in human smuggling have shifted their operations, using Turkish access as an alternative gateway to Europe. In many cases, young individuals are lured with promises of employment through collusion between Turkish recruitment firms and Pakistani Overseas Employment Promoters (OEPs). Once these youths reach Turkey, many are abandoned by the companies and forced to live illegally and work under harsh conditions.
In one tragic case, a 20-year-old youth from a Landi Kotal family went missing while trying to cross from Turkey into Bulgaria. A year later, his whereabouts remain unknown—whether dead or alive. Other similar cases have surfaced where young men, misled by attractive job offers, find themselves stranded and exploited.
Several youths from Landi Kotal have admitted that they are working low-paying jobs in Turkey to save enough money for an illegal journey to Europe. Local agents are deeply involved in facilitating their stay and travel, and even manage money transfers via informal channels, such as hawala or hundi systems.
Recently, the families of eleven young men arrested at the Bulgaria-Turkey border reportedly paid local agents €1,200 per person. The agents claimed they could use their “connections” to secure the youths’ release.
Residents of Landi Kotal are now urging the FIA Peshawar to launch a crackdown on all unlicensed travel agents involved in human trafficking under the guise of legal work permits.
The issue was also raised in a recent Senate session, where the Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development disclosed that out of 1,460 deported Pakistanis, 691 had been sent abroad through officially registered OEPs. The Ministry has issued show-cause notices to the implicated agents and recommended legal action.
Senator Zeeshan Khanzada and other lawmakers emphasized the urgent need for strict measures against those tarnishing the country’s reputation and exploiting vulnerable citizens through illegal human smuggling networks.
Yeah why is that ?
Bcz our country is backwards . The stooges who rule us are owned by them