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| November 17, 2005 | Thursday | Shawwal 14, 1426 |
779 foreigners held for drug smuggling
ISLAMABAD, Nov 16: Federal Minister for Narcotics Control Ghous Bux Khan Mehar on Wednesday said that 799 foreigners had been arrested during 2003-04 on the charges of drug smuggling. In a written replay to a question raised by Dr Kauser Firdaus in the Senate the minister provided complete details about the foreigners, who were arrested by the law enforcement agencies on the charges of narcotics smuggling.
The minister said that 401 foreigners of 40 different countries had been arrested during 2003 while 398 foreigners of 37 different countries arrested during 2004.
The minister said that most of the drug traffickers belong to Nigeria as its 464 nationals were arrested during the period.
Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Federal Interior Minister said that 53 facilitators/agents have been arrested by the anti trafficking unit of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) January-September 2005 in connection with the child smuggling.
In a written replay to a question raised by Dr Kausar Firdaus in the Senate the minister provided complete details of child smuggling and the number of persons arrested in the country in connection with the smuggling.
The minister said strict vigilance was being exercised by immigration staff on these checkposts to control child smuggling.
The minister said Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) checkposts have been established on all authorized routes of the country to control and regulate entry/exit of the passengers.
The government has introduced computerized NICs and Machine Readable Passports to check forged travelling documents, he added.
Mr Sherpao said manual checking and record keeping system had been replaced by Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) installed on immigration check posts.
This also helps in detection of stolen and lost passports.
Prevention and control human trafficking Ordinance, 2002 promulgated to control human trafficking, especially women and children where all offences have been made cognizable, non- bailable and non-compoundable, the minister said.
A special unit call Anti-Trafficking Unit (ATU) had been established in the FIA headquarters and its zonal directorates to control human trafficking under P&CTO 2002.
Eight passport circles located in Karachi, lahore, Gujranwala, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Quetta are taking legal action against the culprits found involved in human smuggling and trafficking, including women and children. Cases are, therefore, registered, accused are arrested and prosecuted.
Replaying to another question raised by Ilyas Ahmed Bilour regarding rape of women in police custody, Sherpao said whenever any female accused was required to be interrogated, she would be interrogated in the presence of her relatives and a female police officer. Women accused will be kept in the women police station only, he added.
Mr Sherpao said the police had been directed that female police officers must always accompany whenever arrest of any female accused was sought and produce her before the concerned Illaka magistrate for further retention, if required.
In case a female accused is required to be investigated in prison, the investigating officer will investigate her in the presence of an officer and lady police of the concerned prison.
The females shall not be taken out of prison without the prior permission of the court concerned and if taken out, they shell remain in custody of a female police officer and shall not be taken out before sunrise and definitely returned to the prison before sunset.
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