THERE is no doubt that rampant
poverty, unemployment and a bleak future stare young Pakistanis in the face. The
situation invariably provides a breeding ground for human trafficking. With a
constant increase in poverty and an absence of job opportunities for the youth,
the scourge has spread its tentacles all over the country. A newspaper report
pointing to the existence of a trafficking mafia, who cajoles the young men into
leaving the country for a better life in foreign country, where they are
kidnapped and released only in exchange for heavy ransom, shows that the evil is
quite active in Pakistan.
The matter is also linked with the overall question of absence of rule of law
and corruption in virtually every field of life. The pity is that such agents
are operating freely in the country and are not hard to find for those who are
anxious to get out of the vicious circle of life in Pakistan. Little do the
people know what awaits them, or perhaps the desperation to escape the horrors
of a miserable life persuades them to pay huge sums to the agents while ignoring
the dangers to their life. And the fate of would-be immigrants could well be
similar to the 64 persons who died through suffocation while shipped to Iran in
1998. Those who make it to their destinations are either kidnapped by the
traffickers themselves, as revealed by the report, or have to face exploitative
conditions.
Under the circumstances, the government must leave no stone unturned to quash
the rings of human smugglers. There is no doubt that the menace is well
established throughout the Third World and remains quite powerful in Pakistan.
Yet, firm action with commitment could put end to the tragedy. An awareness
campaign informing the public to stay away from such agents would also help a
lot. However, at the end of the day, the government would have to address the
problem of poverty and unemployment that is causing hopelessness among the
people and driving them out of the country.