https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1104168-fia-vows-to-curb-human-trafficking-money-laundering

Islamabad : The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is bearing excessive yoke for inquiring most difficult crimes cases including cybercrime, child pornography, financial frauds, sexual harassment, blackmailing and embezzlement from government authorities and political ruling ranks.

The FIA is responsible for taking the people involved in various odious offences but escape abroad without facing courts of law, the media officials described. The FIA has brought back tens of the criminals to Pakistan from different countries through Interpol.

Previously, the professional performance of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against former government personnel has been mixed. In some cases, the FIA has been able to resist political pressure and conduct impartial investigations.

Rizwan Abbasi, criminal lawyer of the Supreme Court of Pakistan suggested when contacted saying that the FIA should stand with merit, justice and professionalism during the course of inquiry in political cases, adding that the national investigation agency should not bow to political pressure. “The ability of the FIA to resist political pressure depends on a number of factors, including the strength of the agency’ leadership, the independence of its bureaucracy and the level of public support for professional performance of the investigation agency,” said Rizwan Abbasi advocated. “When these factors are strong, the FIA will be better able to resist political pressure and conduct impartial investigations. However, when these factors are weak, the FIA is more likely to be influenced by political considerations,” Abbasi maintained.

In the case of the investigations against former government personnel, the FIA has faced significant political pressure. Some of the former government personnel who have been investigated are powerful political figures with close ties to the current government. As a result, the FIA has been accused of being under the government’s control and of conducting biased investigations, he added.

Despite this pressure, the FIA has so far been able to resist political interference in some cases. However, it remains to be seen whether the agency will be able to continue to do so in the future. The strength of the FIA's leadership, the independence of its bureaucracy, and the level of public support for its work will all play a role in determining whether the agency is able to maintain its independence, Rizwan Abbasi concluded. The FIA is also a law enforcement agency in Pakistan that is responsible for investigating financial crimes, terrorism and human smuggling. In the wake of the Greece ship incident, the FIA has been tasked with cracking down on the people involved in human smuggling.

The FIA has launched a number of operations to target human smugglers. These operations have resulted in the arrest of hundreds of people and the seizure of large sums of money. The agency has also worked to raise awareness about the dangers of human smuggling and to discourage people from taking the risk of travelling illegally. The FIA’s role in anti-human smuggling is essential to protecting the lives and safety of Pakistani citizens. The agency’s work has helped to reduce the number of people who are trafficked and smuggled each year. The FIA is committed to continuing its work to combat human smuggling and to make Pakistan a safer place for all.

The FIA during specific actions against the people involved in the Greece ship sinking incident, launched nationwide crackdown on human smugglers and hunted them down over one people suspected of involvement in human smuggling.

The FIA has seized large sums of money that were being used to finance human smuggling operations. The investigation agency worked to raise awareness about the dangers of human smuggling and discouraged people from taking the risk of travelling illegally. The performance of FIA, especially against human trafficking and money laundering offences, have acknowledged and praised on the international forums and by human rights organisations.

Other than the performance of different wings of the FIA, the cybercrime circle delivered splendid recital and provided relief to the suppressed people, especially, women victims being blackmailed by the mafia involved in sexual harassment and sent them behind the bar, a victim expressed her view. Keeping in view of six-monthly performance report, the anti-human trafficking wing performed above than its capacity and fulfilled their task with commitment, said in a report.