Senate passes three bills to check human smuggling, beggary

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Friday passed three key bills, seeking to enhance punishment for offences related to smuggling of migrants and human trafficking, and improve procedures and ensuring smooth trials to curb boat tragedies.

The proposed pieces of legislation have already been cleared by the House standing committee concerned, which will also help stop smuggling of young girls for prostitution and beggars into the Gulf States.

The House unanimously adopted the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons (Amendment) Bill, the Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants (Amendment) Bill and the Emigration (Amendment) Bill, which were moved by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

Speaking on the occasion, the law minister said the recent boat tragedies, killing several illegal immigrant Pakistanis had again awakened them to stop this menace.

He said the Ministry of Interior had proposed certain amendments to the laws to stop human trafficking and smuggling of girls and beggars from Pakistan abroad after consulting with the stakeholders.

He continued that the gangs that were exporting (smuggling) beggars were tarnishing the image of Pakistan in foreign countries and also pointed out that unfortunately, young girls were being exported (smuggled) for illicit purposes.

The Prevention of Trafficking in Persons (Amendment) Bill, which passed the House, seeks to amend the Trafficking in Persons Act 2018 to incorporate organized beggary in the list of offences.

The bill suggests enhancing the sentence for the offence of trafficking in persons from three to seven years and from seven to 10 years imprisonment with a fine of Rs1 million, whereas the proposed sentence for the crime committed against children and women is 14 years and a fine of up to Rs2 million.

It points out that the diplomatic missions of Pakistan in the GCC countries, Iraq and Malaysia had highlighted that some Pakistanis who come to these countries for Haj, Umrah, Ziarat and personal visits were found involved in beggary. They have urged Pakistani authorities to take a stern action against those involved in begging and the gangs behind them.

“The agents and gangs involved in this practice easily dodge prosecution as beggary is not a crime in any law entrusted to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The sensitivity of the issue demands the urgent need for making beggary a crime,” it reads.

The Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants (Amendment) Bill proposes to increase the punishment for those engaged in smuggling of migrants to up to 10 years imprisonment from five years and a fine of up to Rs10 million from Rs1 million.

The bill also proposes increase in sentence from up to three years but not less than one year and a fine of Rs1 million to up to 10 years but not less than three years and a fine of up to Rs5 million.

It proposes enhancement in punishment for those who harbour or intend to harbour a person who is not a citizen or permanent resident of Pakistan and does not comply with the necessary requirements to remain in Pakistan. The punishment for such individuals has been proposed to be increased from up to three years to up to five years imprisonment, with doubling the upper limit of fine to Rs2 million.

The House also approved the Emigration (Amendment) Bill seeking to amend the Emigration Ordinance to do away with the courts’ powers to let go culprits by imposing just a minor fine.

The amendment proposes to make imprisonment mandatory along with the fine, which has been increased to one million rupees.

The members can submit their recommendations related to the bill to the Senate Secretariat by Monday.

The House was adjourned to meet again Monday afternoon, after it was found lacking quorum.

Meanwhile, complete unity was witnessed again in the Senate on Friday among political parties as an amended resolution was passed, demanding of the provincial governments to abide by the constitutional rights and allow political gatherings and rallies across Pakistan.

PPP parliamentary leader Sherry Rehman, who presided over the sitting, congratulated the House over passage of a pro-democracy resolution with no dissent.