EDITORIAL: Last month saw one of the worst tragedies at sea when an overcrowded boat carrying illegal migrants sank off the coast of Greece, drowning with it some 700 people. 300 of them came from Pakistan.
The government declared a day of mourning and the Federal Investigation Agency spurred into action announcing the arrest of some low-level operatives in the people smuggling racket.
It was the sheer scale of the tragedy that caught the authorities’ attention. This though is not the first or the last time such a heartbreaking incident has occurred.
Each year, migrant boats with Pakistanis aboard end up in disaster. Yet many others desperate to seek better lives in other countries embark on perilous journeys, lured by people smugglers patronised by the police and influential individuals. Like their stories, those of the latest victims could be forgotten. This time may be different, however.
A lawyer for an NGO, the Human Rights and Legal Aid, has moved a petition in the Supreme Court regarding the issue. The petition also highlights the little noticed trafficking of street children, and what it describes as the provincial governments’ failure to arrest the culprits and their abettors.
Hearing the case on Wednesday, Chief Justice of Pakistan, (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial expressed the regret that poor people were forced to pay millions to human traffickers; even children and women were becoming victims of trafficking. He wanted to know whether the government had any statistics on the number of children being smuggled.
The answer, of course, will be in the negative. The CJP has now asked all respondents nominated in the petition, including the interior ministry, FIA, NADRA and National Commission for Human Rights to furnish, within a month, concise statements with directions to the provinces to come up with measures taken to curb human smuggling. “This is a matter of human rights”, pointed out the honourable CJP.
The government having amply demonstrated its ability to slap down a political rival, it remains to be seen if it has the will to crack down on this criminal enterprise with the same level of determination.
The issue is reflective of the degree to which the feeling of despair pushes people to leave their homes and families in search of greener pasture abroad.
Admittedly, the government resources are limited, but exacerbating the problem is also the existence of extreme inequality at the expense of basic public needs like education and gainful employment. Take the case of over 20.5 million children out of school.
The Constitution says the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years. Yet it fails to feature in the ruling elite’s list of priorities. Those from advantaged backgrounds get educated in elite schools inside Pakistan as well as some of the best universities in developed countries.
Many opt to stay there as legal immigrants, making valuable contributions in various fields, including technological innovation. Those denied the opportunity to realise their real potential are either pushed back at foreign shores or perish at sea. It is an indefensible situation. Sadly, those in positions of power do not seem to care.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
Comments
Comments are closed.