The Supreme Court summoned on Tuesday the interior and foreign secretaries and advocate general Punjab in the human smuggling suo motu case
ISLAMABAD,(Pakistan Point News - 06th Feb, 2018 ) : The Supreme Court summoned on Tuesday the interior and foreign secretaries and advocate general Punjab in the human smuggling suo motu case. During the hearing, the chief justice observed that human smuggling gangs are operating from Gujrat, Lala Musa, Sira-e-Alamgir and Mandi Bahauddin areas of Punjab, adding that this menace has to be curtailed. The crime is not being tackled adequately as there are issues of coordination between government institutions, he observed further.
Federal Investigation Agency Director General Bashir Ahmed Memon admitted before the court that human smuggling is a pressing issue in Gujranwala. The chief justice stated that the court will direct the Punjab government to set up an FIA office in Gujranwala and Gujrat to tackle the situation on ground. Separately, as many as three alleged human smugglers were arrested in raids conducted in Sheikhupura and Mandi Bahauddin today, informed a deputy director of the FIA.
The apex court had taken a suo motu notice of human smuggling after the tragic discovery in Turbat, Balochistan of bullet-ridden bodies of around a dozen men, mostly from Punjab, who were attempting to illegally crossover into Europe via Iran. The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) on Tuesday also announced he will not take new suo motu notices until the disposal of earlier suo motu cases. The chief justice said the SC will not interfere in executive policies but it will just point out or identify the issues. CJP Nisar while addressing Babar Awan, asked all lawyers to assist the court in matters related to public interest. The CJP took suo motu notices of multiple cases in the last couple of months.
