KARACHI, Dec 8: The Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with the Sindh Home Department, held a coordination conference at Coast Guards Headquarters on ‘Migration Management and Prevention of Human Trafficking.’

The meeting was chaired by provincial Home Secretary Brig (r) Ghulam Mohammed Mothered and attended by Brig Firzoq, Director General Coast Guards, Secretary Information, DGs of Nara, Nadra, and representatives from all law-enforcement agencies related to immigration process and the control of human trafficking.

The home secretary informed the meeting about gravity of the issue vis-a-vis Pakistan’s stand at international forums.

He said a lot of spade work had been done by the federal government and now the provincial enforcement agencies had to do the work to beat this peculiar crime and focus on the need to adopt better preventive measures coupled with prompt prosecution

of the offenders and protection

to the victims.

The participants emphasized the need for ensuring coherence in policies by all the LEAs.

Ikram Saigal said Pakistan was a signatory to the IOM Charter and being a potential source, as well as a target country, it should ensure sustained efforts to fight this form of exploitative migration.

He offered setting up of an IOM office in Karachi to support the achievements by the federal and provincial governments.

Tanveer Qureshi, the focal person, home department, stressed the need for adequate protection to the vulnerable people.

He said a cell had already been established in the home office in coordination with the Migration Management Cell of the Ministry of Interior to tackle this problem.

The meeting decided that the next follow up conference would be held in Islamabad soon.—APP