RAWALPINDI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has established its sub-offices in Greece and Iran to check increasing activities of organised criminal networks and illegal movements of Pakistani migrants.

A senior FIA official told Dawn that one sub-office each in Greece and Iran had been established and soon two deputy directors along with their subordinates would begin performing duties in these countries.

The official said that one deputy director along with his subordinates would be posted in each country to check legal or illegal movements of Pakistani migrants and to look after their other issues.

The FIA teams had already visited Turkey, Iran and Greece to finalise the setting up of sub-offices there. The plan to set up a sub-office in Turkey has been delayed due to financial difficulties.

The decision to establish FIA offices abroad was taken after a smugglers’ boat with a majority of Pakistanis on board capsized off the coast of Libya on January 31 this year, leaving several people drowned.

The FIA official said the sub-offices in Greece and Iran would specifically look into the issues of Pakistanis, including those languishing in detention centres.

He said the most common land route chosen by human smugglers is from Pakistan to Turkey and then Greece.

Iran and Turkey, he said, served as transit countries where a network of human smugglers had been actively working and they had been in contact with their agents in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan.

He said it was important to stop young people from going abroad, especially to Europe, by boat because sometimes their journey ends up in tragedy.

The FIA official said a campaign should be launched to tell youths not to go abroad illegally.

He said whenever illegal immigrants are caught and put in detention centres Pakistan’s embassies make arrangements for their deportation and provide them required documents.

He said that soon after funds were made available, the FIA would establish its sub-office in Turkey and would send the staff to Greece and Iran as well.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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