ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday categorically rejected the “unsubstantiated and baseless” inclusion of Pakistan in the Child Soldiers Preven­tion Act (CSPA) List published in the US State Department’s Annual Trafficking in Persons Report 2021.

The Foreign Office spokesperson, in a statement, said Pakistan did not support any non-state armed group, nor any entity recruiting or using child soldiers. Pakistan’s efforts in fighting non-state armed groups, including terrorist entities, are well-recognised, he added.

The inclusion of Pakistan in the CSPA List depicts a factual error and lack of understanding. No state institution was consulted by the US prior to the publication of the report, nor were any details provided on the basis of which the conclusion was reached, the spokesperson added.

Overall, he said, on the issue of Trafficking in Persons, Pakistan was committed to fighting this scourge both at the national and international levels.

He said the country had taken a range of legislative and administrative actions in that regard during the last one year. The measures included the approval of rules under the domestic Trafficking in Per­sons and Smuggling of Mig­rants Acts, National Action Plan 2021-25 prepared jointly by the Federal Investigation Agency and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and enhancement of capacity building and inter-agency cooperation of Law Enforcement Agencies involved in steps against human smuggling.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2021