A latest report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), prepared in December 2014, warns that human trafficking and migrant smuggling remains an unabated challenge for the international community where millions of people are trapped in the form of modern day slavery. prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
The report extensively talks about Pakistan by saying that the national trends on trafficking in persons and smuggling migrants in Pakistan have displayed an overall increase in the time period of 2007-2013. The associated illegal economy has consequently also been rising and estimated to be close to $1 billion in 2013 alone.
There is a consensus among the experts and critics that the rising magnitude of the parallel economy, also called as informal economy or the black economy, has surpassed the formal economy now roughly stands at $290 billion.
The five countries exhibiting the highest amount of deportation statistics for Pakistan include Iran, Turkey, Greece, Oman and Spain. According to the FIA, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Greece and Spain have been observed to be the most popular destination countries where as Iran, Turkey and Oman serve as transit countries on these routes. Deportation statistics from these countries display an overall increase of 18 percent over this time period. Domestic trafficking for forced or bounded labour in Pakistan has also been observed to be widespread and rising.
This increase in the volume and industry of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants in Pakistan can be seen to respond to trends in relevant macroeconomic indicators. In 2008 Pakistan witnessed the lowest GDP growth rate, the highest inflation and consistently rising Consumer Price Index (CPI). As a consequence of this increase in deportees, according to the report, Pakistan’s Tier classification fell from Tier 2 to Tier 2 Watch List by 2009. The classification improved over 2010-2013, however, due to rise in deportees experienced during 2011-2013, by 2014 Pakistan was reclassified as Tier 2 Watch List with possible economic repercussions if it stays on the Watch List for 2 consecutive years.
There is a clear indication from trends lines that deportation is continuing to increase and peaked in 2013. The time period being considered has not seen any significant economic improvements and the security situation in the country remains a concern.
These trends might be indicative of an upcoming increase in trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants in the Pakistani context. It is consequently paramount to improve the capacity of the country’s legal frameworks and LEAs to be able to counter the activity and associated illegal economy.
With the appearing of the UN report, people are invariably questioning why this issue is going unnoticed by the officials of the ministry of interior and that why no action has so far been taken to curb the menace of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants in Pakistan.
An insider privy to the issue fears that in case Pakistan does not take notice, the status of Generalized System of Preferences (GSP Plus) offered by the European Union could be withdrawn. The GSP Plus was meant to help export additional $1 billion Pakistani textile goods in the EU bloc.
A number of mainstream politicians are said to be involved in human trafficking, by patronizing unscrupulous manpower promoters with the connivance of the government officials.
Now when this unfortunate illegal trade continues to flourish why can’t the government concentrate on exporting manpower to various countries legally and that why there seems to be a criminal negligence in this behalf.
Pakistan, which used to be on the forefront in exporting its manpower particularly in the Middle East in 70s and 80s, is constantly lagging behind for the last so many years. Also sadly enough no government had given any thought to it. There is a consensus that increase in Pakistani manpower could help break the begging bowl.
“I have no doubt in my mind that we can double our foreign remittances from $15 billion to $30 billion provided we concentrate on manpower for which there exist ample opportunities particularly in Dubai, Qatar and Kuwait,” said PML(N) Senator Anwar Baig. He was the active member of the committee which worked day and night to enhance Pakistani manpower but nothing happened at the end of day due to what many regards callous and casual attitude of the officials of the prime minister’s secretariat. Interestingly Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif took personal interest in the matter when convinced that Pakistan could easily double its foreign remittances. But he too is believed to have been disappointed by the concerned officials, though he also took up the issue with the prime minister as well.
Senator Baig, who is an important PML (N) leader, does not understand why the government officials, who are negotiating LNG deal with Qatar, are failing to raise the issue of increased manpower to that rich Middle Eastern country.
“Qatar is holing FIFA in 2022 and it has earmarked $12 billion for that even that also includes the import of 1.5 million workers and we can very well grab the opportunity to enhance our manpower to that country,” he said. In fact Senator Baig wanted the government to link the import of LNG from Qatar with that of considerably exporting Pakistani manpower there. “I am reasonably sure that we can substantially enhance our manpower to Qatar.”
Likewise, he said, Dubai, which is holding EXPO 2020 and has earmarked $8 billion for the event, could be approached for increasing Pakistani manpower there. But here too, he regretted there is no work being done to persuade the Dubai authorities to take Pakistani manpower. “Why there is a ban on Pakistan manpower in Kuwait,” he asked adding that if genuine efforts are made Pakistan could win considerable contracts to send its manpower to that country.
The PML leader also said that when the late ZAB signed an agreement with former Soviet Union to build Pakistan Steel Mills, he made sure that Russians also train 1,000 Pakistani engineers including metallurgists. “Therefore, we can ask Qatar authorities to benefit Pakistani manpower after having secured billions of dollars LNG contract”, he said.
Generally critics maintain that Pakistan’s micro-economic indicators that are constantly falling could well be improved, if the home remittances are increased especially by exporting quality manpower in the world. But sadly one learns that instead of increasing Pakistani manpower, there is sharp decline in it – thanks to poor response of the government agencies. How many people know who is the minister for human resource and overseas Pakistanis, perhaps very few and this is due to what is said to be his “little or no interest” in the job.
Pakistan can get its due market share by approaching the friendly Islamic countries who are otherwise seen more interested in providing their regular financial support to the religious seminaries (madressahs) and that too without the knowledge of the Pakistani authorities. But the issue perhaps cannot go unnoticed anymore as the government has started registering these religious seminaries, most of them, are said to be operating illegally by also grabbing government and private lands.
By increasing foreign remittances through more export of Pakistani manpower, the much needed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) could also be managed. This FDI is on a constant decline and averaging less than $700-$800 million a year for the last many years compared to $5.8 billion of 2007-08. This is how the government can generate more employment for the educated youth by sending them abroad and saving them from involving in illegal activities. There can also be poverty alleviation through manpower export which was at its peaks in 70s and 80s.
There is no secret that Pakistan’s half of the population is living below the poverty line earning just less than $2 a day. Pakistanis are winding up their businesses due to security reason and a foreign investor rightly asks why he should be investing in Pakistan when its own people are not investing and preferring to invest in various other countries including UAE, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
No day passes when the present government does not encounter new problems on both the political and economic fronts. The nation was told by the prime minster before May 11, 2013 elections that he has a strong team which can deliver in every field once he comes into power. Unfortunately poor performance of the government during the last 21 months amply show that all is not well as the promises made with the people by the rulers remained unfulfilled.
While terrorism has proved to be a number one problem, the failure on the governance front is also causing unmanageable problems. Has anyone experienced regular load-shedding in winter which is happening during a government that made repeated claims to remove power crisis in months. It is high time to for the prime minister and his team to assess why are they failing and why should they face embarrassing situations every now and then. Where is the much trumpeted accountability of the cabinet ministers and the government officials and when the government starts delivering is a question being discussed in all the relevant official and unofficial quarters.
The writer is a senior journalist based in Islamabad