Human trafficking damaging image
By Adnan Rafique

Islamabad—The Stern action will be taken against those who found involved in Human Smuggling as this menace is damaging Pakistan’s image abroad, this was stated by the Additional Secretary Interior, Imtiaz Kazi while speaking at the inauguration of the One-day Workshop on “International Migration and Search for Durable Solution” organized by the Migration Management Cell of the Ministry of Interior in collaboration with the Migration Research Centre, here this morning.
Director, Migration Research Center, Dr. Sabiha Hassan Syed, Dy Secretary and Incharge Migration Management Cell, Mrs. Ammna Imran, Key Stakeholders of Migration field, represents of various Embassies, Scholars and Experts also spoke on the occasion and suggested many measures to control illegal migration from the country.
Mr. Imtiaz Kazi said, Ministry of Interior, has actively working on drafting a comprehensive migration management policy for which cooperation and suggestion is needed from all stakeholders from migration related field. He further said the illegal migration from Pakistan on the rise and is damaging country’s image abroad. The problem has potential threats of jeopardizing bilateral relations with many countries particularly with Turkey, Greece, UK, USA, Spain and in Middle East Countries. The Pakistani expatriate community is also suffering a set back due to illegal immigration from Pakistan, he added.
He said, Migration is a defining global issue and roughly one in every 35 people in the world today has been a migrant at some point in their lives. This issue is the serious threat which irregular migration poses to our security. It is therefore vital that we strike a balance between the protection of the human rights of migrants and the need to address legitimate security concerns, he added.
Mr. Kazi said, we need to target specific development measures to communities which are experiencing high migration pressure. We should provide orientation and training to migrants before sending them abroad. We must secure our borders and crack down on transnational crime. He further said, we develop a National Migration Action Plan which comprise strategies for dealing with regular and irregular migration, integrated border management, Visa regimes, Asylum, Human trafficking and People Smuggling.
Earlier, Mrs. Ammna Imran, Dy Secretary M/o Interior, presented address of welcome and a brief summery of the new migration Policy.