RAWALPINDI: Enhancing inter-agency coordination, strengthening institutional mechanisms and supporting public awareness campaigns are important to address the evolving challenges related to trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants.

This was discussed during a meeting of Federal Investigation Agency officials with a delegation of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) at the FIA Headquarters in Islamabad.

A spokesman for the FIA said that the delegation held a meeting with Director General FIA, Riffat Mukhtar, to discuss ongoing and future areas of cooperation in the fields of irregular migration, cyber-enabled human trafficking and capacity-building initiatives.

The DG FIA appreciated ICMPD’s continued technical support through various initiatives aimed at promoting safe, legal and rights-based migration.

He reaffirmed FIA’s commitment to combating transnational organised crime in close coordination with national and international partners, the spokesperson said.

The meeting concluded with a shared understanding to deepen collaboration and explore new avenues to combat transnational organised crimes, he added.

Separately, the FIA has said it has rounded up 14 suspects for their alleged involvement in human trafficking.

An FIA spokesman said that the agency conducted an operation against the “agent mafia” operating in and around the premises of the Passport Office Gujranwala and arrested 14 agents.

The arrested agents were found involved in extorting money from citizens by promising to get them passports quickly, said the spokesman.

The accused belong to different areas of Gujranwala.

During the raid, blank bank challans, photocopies of tokens, receipts and NADRA family tree certificates were also recovered from the possession of the accused.

The suspects have been arrested and an investigation has been launched. Operations are underway to arrest other facilitators involved in the network, said the spokesman.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2025