Economy needs to improve to end human trafficking: Solangi

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi on Tuesday said that the issue of human trafficking would remain an insurmountable menace unless the overall economic situation of the country improves.

The minister was responding to various queries raised by the senators during the fourth meeting of the 334^th session of the Senate held under a limited presence of the members of the upper house of the parliament.

The questions pertaining to the government measures and their outcomes to curb the menace of human trafficking were put to the floor by Senator Kamran Murtaza of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Pakistan (JUI-P), Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and independent Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, the official news agency reported.

Solangi noted that the senators had raised important points, whereas the solution lied in the fact that the country had to fix its economy. He said that the state as per its capacity, was taking measures but the issue demanded a holistic and national approach towards it.

“Unless the underlying issues are resolved, things will not improve. We are going into the election process, the senators should pay attention to the basic issues; establish a plan and consensus on the economic direction of the country so that our children do not give their lives in different seas and deserts of the world,” Solangi said.

In response to Senator Mushtaq’s question seeking response pertaining to human trafficking through land routes and involvement of the authorities linked to the border areas’ management, the minister said that the complaint of human trafficking was true to a certain extent, but the issue of corruption was not of today, it was the problem of the system.

He added that awareness was being raised about human trafficking while the state and media organisations were also making their efforts in this regard.

Solangi emphasised that in order to end human trafficking, the nation needed to fix its economic situation.

In response to Senator Mushtaq’s question pertaining to encroachments made by Islamabad Club on the precious land of the federal capital, Solangi said that the Building Control Section of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) wrote a letter to the management of the Islamabad Club on February 24, 2023 to end the encroachments. However, the Islamabad Club management had requested that there were problems in shifting due to arrival of high-level personalities, he added.

Solangi said the Islamabad Club management has assured that no mature structure is being established alongside its premises.