Travel agents in the federal capital on Saturday observed shutter down strike to protest against the ongoing drive launched by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for arresting those overseas employment promoters who are alleged involvement in human trafficking.
The strike was observed on the call of Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (North Zone). Travel agents alleged that the FIA was not only harassing overseas employment promoters under the garb of its campaign against human smuggling, but defaming them by using different tactics. They asked the FIA to differentiate between employment promoters and people involved in human smuggling and provide protection to travel agents doing business lawfully.
The Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had recently ordered FIA to launch a countrywide campaign against those involved in human trafficking. The minister had also directed Nadra and Immigration and Passport director to cancel CNICs and passports of 300 human smugglers identified by the FIA, besides freezing their accounts.
Following the directives, FIA launched a crackdown against human traffickers in all major cities of the country, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta and arrested several people on the charges of human smuggling.