November 20, 2003	Thursday	Ramazan 24, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 19: Interior Minister Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat will leave for Saudi Arabia on Thursday for information sharing on terrorism and finalizing arrangements for sending a team to the Royal Kingdom to assist Saudi authorities in tracking down the network of Al Qaeda reportedly involved in bomb blasts on Saudi soil.

The interior minister will meet his counterpart and other senior officials of Saudi law enforcement agencies to extend cooperation against terrorism, a source in the interior ministry told Dawn on Wednesday.

The source expressed the hope that Pakistani team of investigators and experts would be sent to Saudi Arabia after Eidul Azha.

The interior minister, he said, would also provide a list of Al Qaeda activists who were believed to be involved in terrorism in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan has a close coordination with Saudi authorities for exchange of information and technical assistance, he said, adding that Pakistani intelligence agencies have evidence that Al Qaeda terrorists having network in Afghanistan were involved in the recent bomb blasts in Saudi Arabia.

HUMAN TRAFFICKERS: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has apprehended over 100 major human smugglers during a recently conducted nation-wide campaign, interior minister Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat said.

Presiding over a briefing held at the interior ministry to review the performance of the FIA here on Tuesday, the interior minister urged the agency to intensify its efforts to control human smuggling and apprehend the “big fish”.

The meeting reviewed the agency’s strategies developed to achieve maximum results.

The minister said: “Cosmetic measures won’t work, therefore, result-oriented approach should be adopted to ensure the arrest of big fish to discourage others from indulging in human trafficking.”

He said the FIA should formulate a comprehensive strategy at macro level to control the menace and follow it up vigorously.

In response to the complaints of the FIA regarding lack of resources, he asked the director-general of the agency to submit proposals for revamping of the agency’s setup all over the country.

He said over 100 human smugglers had been held, including Mohammad Bashir Hazaria, Barkart Ali Jakhrani, Mohammad Siddique, Syed Tahir Abbas Shah, Haji Moeen Ahmed, Mohammad Shafi, Syed Anwar Hussain, Feroz, Ronald Johan, Raja Ihteshamul Haq and Chaudhry Tariq Mehmood.

These people were involved in sending hundreds of illegal immigrants to various European, African and Asian countries and extorted millions of rupees from the innocent people.

He said the FIA’s Karachi Circle had netted some “big names” in the past as well. These included: Yousaf Odd, Amjad, Amir, Sheraz, Tahir, Tanveer, Anis Ahmed Khan Yousafzai, Aslam Hayat, Manzoor Hussain and representatives of Swissport Jeddah Project.