Pakistan, China working closely on women trafficking

ISLAMABAD: As the FIA got into action busting several gangs involved in duping unsuspecting Pakistani women into marrying Chinese nationals, the Foreign Office announced on Saturday that after these complaints both countries were closely coordinating their efforts.

The gangs involved several Chinese nationals and their Pakistani partners. In the last case, Pakistan’s mission in Beijing helped rescue some Pakistani women and sent them back home. The FIA has also been praised by the Pakistani women in Islamabad for helping them get out of a hopeless situation. “A Chinese team visited Pakistan and held meetings with the law enforcement officials. At the conclusion of the visit, the Chinese government offered all possible cooperation on the issue, which was highly appreciated. Both sides are closely coordinating their efforts in this regard,” said the Foreign Office. More and more Pakistani girls have come forward to explain how they were promised opportunities in China through jobs and marriages but this turned out to be fraud, as they were treated harshly and were expected to engage in immoral activities. “Authorities from both governments are in close contact on this issue,” said the Foreign Office at a time when China has stated that the Pakistan media is blowing the incidents out of proportion.

Without denying outright these illegal acts of human trafficking, the Foreign Office simply said they had ‘noted’ a statement by the Chinese Embassy. This Chinese statement referred to investigation by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security on the issue which proved that “there is no forced prostitution or sale of human organs of Pakistani women who stay in China after marriage with Chinese nationals”. The wide media coverage in Pakistan and abroad on the issue of abuse of Pakistani women has led to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Pakistan Missions in China to closely monitor the situation and extend all possible assistance to Pakistani citizens who may have any complaints on the subject.

However, the Foreign Office advised that since both countries had joined hands to look into these cases “it is essential to avoid sensationalization and report on sensitive matters only on the basis of established facts”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all other relevant departments of the government and the Chinese authorities will continue to coordinate on the matter to address the grievances of the affected individuals, bring the culprits to justice, and ensure that such incidents do not recur in future. The spokesperson underlined that Pakistan and China are 'all-weather strategic cooperative partners'. “Friendship between the two countries enjoys strong public and institutional support in both countries. Both sides remain committed to strengthening this abiding friendship and strategic partnership in all dimensions”, he added.