November 3, 2003	Monday	Ramazan 7, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: Former prime minister and Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has expressed concern over the rising incidents of human trafficking and demanded of the military regime to crack down on human smugglers.

The rising human trafficking is worrying, as it shows the growing social neglect of the people under unrepresentative military rulers, she said in a statement on Sunday.

Ms Bhutto demanded an immediate crack down on human traffickers after reports revealed that smuggling of citizens had increased and the traffickers were exploiting the unemployed people to promise them jobs abroad.

These innocent unemployed people, she said, fell for the false promises and were abandoned and often died in miserable conditions overseas.

According to reports, recently 723 stranded Pakistanis jailed in Muscat were released due to the efforts of Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International. The Trust revealed that dead bodies of many abandoned nationals were lying in the mountains of Oman, a route used by the human smugglers.

Ms Bhutto said it was criminal negligence on the part of the regime to spend billions on its own propaganda and smearing of opponents while innocent people were being fleeced by the unscrupulous elements.

She said by neglecting to tackle social issues, such as human smuggling, the regime was destroying the society. She said Pakistan People’s Party was committed to defending the rights of the working classes and the middle classes as well as the farmers, labour, professional classes and traders.