LAHORE: A judicial magistrate on Monday sent 11 Chinese citizens to jail on judicial remand and directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to submit a charge-sheet against them.

The suspects are allegedly involved in contracting fake marriages with Pakistani women and forcing them into prostitution after taking them to China.

The investigating officer (IO) produced the Chinese nationals before the court on expiry of their two-day physical remand and stated that further custody of the suspects was not required.

He said there was no possibility of more disclosures or recovery by the suspects.

At this, magistrate Amir Raza Bittu sent the suspects to jail on judicial remand for 14 days directing the IO to ensure submission of the challan within the stipulated time.

The suspects include Hongfa Yang, Libing Liu, Bo Wang, Chuanjia Liu, Gongze He, Tianyyi Liu, Feng Xnu Yang, Chan yen, Song Guoqian, Liu and Wei Linping.

The FIA accused the suspects of contracting fake marriages with Pakistani women with the help of local facilitators and then forcing them into prostitution after reaching China. The agency also accused the suspects of using them for organ trade.

Meanwhile, Lu Yaff and some other Chinese nationals approached the Lahore High Court against the alleged harassment caused by FIA and police.

Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem took up the petition where their counsel argued that his clients arrived in Pakistan on valid business visas.

He claimed the petitioners were being harassed by the FIA and the police since the scam of fake marriages had surfaced. He said the law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) also interrogated the petitioners and confiscated their passports and mobile phones.

He asked the court to restrain the LEAs from harassing the petitioners.

A law officer opposed the petition and stated that the law of the land was equal for local and foreign nationals.

He assured the court that the Chinese nationals were not being harassed and the LEAs had been taking actions strictly under the law.

The judge disposed of the petition with an instruction to LEAs to act in accordance with law.

Read: FO backs China stance on issue of human trafficking, cautions against 'sensationalising' case

Hearing another petition filed by a Lahore woman, Justice Shahid Karim sought replies from the federal government and National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) about non-issuance of the identity card with the name of her Chinese husband who converted to Islam.

Asifa Shahzadi pleaded through her counsel that she married Chinese citizen Wang Fai and her husband was given an Islamic name, Abdul Rasheed.

Ms Shahzadi said she applied to Nadra for issuance of a fresh CNIC with fresh marital status and name of her husband. However, she said Nadra denied her new card putting objection to the documents of her husband.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2019