ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday directed newly-appointed Director-General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Riffat Mukhtar Raja, to initiate strict and effective measures against human smuggling and illegal immigration across the country.
Presiding over a high-level meeting, Naqvi emphasized the need for coordinated action across all provinces, asserting that individuals involved in human smuggling must be dealt with an “iron hand.”
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhary, Federal Interior Secretary Mohammad Khurram Agha, and newly-appointed Director-General of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCA), Waqaruddin Syed, were also present at the meeting.
The interior minister condemned the exploitative tactics used by human traffickers, saying such individuals prey on the hopes of innocent people by luring them with false promises of a better life abroad.
“All relevant departments must work in collaboration with the FIA to eliminate these criminal networks,” he stated, while instructing authorities to initiate a coordinated crackdown in all four provinces.
Naqvi also highlighted the growing threat of cybercrime and stressed the importance of strengthening the NCCA. He said the agency’s capabilities would be enhanced, with its officials to be sent abroad for specialized training to meet global cyber security standards.
Echoing Naqvi’s concerns, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhary said that human smugglers “do not deserve any mercy,” and called for a comprehensive and targeted strategy to dismantle such criminal operations.
