ISLAMABAD, Aug 21: Senator Prof Khurshid Ahmad has expressed his disgust at the failure of the government in taking effective steps to punish those "employment promoters" who have been sending Pakistanis abroad on fake documents.

In a statement, he said such elements were bringing miseries, including death and detention, to the people and disrepute and shame to the country.

Criticizing the performance of the interior ministry and its agencies, he said the data submitted to the Senate the other day by the interior minister showed that out of 458 employment promoters, against whom cases were registered from 1999 to 2003, only 50 had been convicted, while 89 cases were pending investigation and 217 trial.

He hoped that the government and parliament would take a serious notice of this despicable state of affairs and improve the situation.