ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday human smuggling incidents involving Pakistani migrants had declined following a series of deadly boat tragedies, crediting law enforcement actions for curbing the crime, which he described as an organized global enterprise of exploitation.

Sharif’s remarks came in a statement marking the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed this year under the theme “Human Trafficking: A Coordinated Crime – End Exploitation.”

The message follows a series of maritime tragedies over the past two years in which scores of Pakistanis have drowned while attempting to reach Europe through irregular sea routes.

These included a shipwreck off Greece in mid-2023, a December 2024 incident near the Greek coast, a January 2025 disaster off Morocco and two separate capsizings off the Libyan coast in early and mid-2025.

“To prevent such incidents and bring traffickers to justice, the federal government formed a special task force for timely intervention,” Sharif said in the statement circulated by the Prime Minister’s Office to mark the day.

“It is encouraging that the task force has worked with diligence and strategy to address the root causes, motives and consequences of this grave crime,” he added. “The FIA and Intelligence Bureau have significantly reduced the activities of human smuggling networks, and complicit officials have also been held accountable.”

The prime minister described human smuggling as a “transnational crime” that targets vulnerable people in search of livelihoods.

“Criminal networks around the world exploit citizens seeking employment opportunities through human smuggling,” he said.

“In recent years, the tragic deaths of Pakistani migrants who drowned while trying to travel abroad illegally have further exposed the horrific and dangerous face of human smuggling.”

Sharif noted the government was not only targeting smugglers but also educating the public about safe, legal avenues for overseas employment.

He emphasized while the state is working to create job opportunities at home and abroad, risking one’s life through illegal routes was both dangerous and a violation of national and international law.

Pakistan actively participates in global platforms to counter trafficking, including the Budapest Process, Bali Process and the STARSOM Project, which focus on regional cooperation across Asia, Africa and the Americas.

“Today is an opportunity to renew our collective resolve,” the prime minister said, “to ensure that federal and provincial governments, law enforcement agencies, the foreign ministry and intelligence institutions continue to play their part in eradicating this heinous crime.”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday described United Nations peacekeeping as the most cost-effective tool for maintaining international peace and security, calling on the Security Council to ensure missions are politically anchored, properly funded and planned with clear mandates to avoid failure.

Speaking at a high-level briefing on the future of UN peace operations, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmad noted no new peacekeeping mission had been launched in the past decade, even as global crises multiply.

He warned that downgrading or prematurely ending missions without political resolution risks creating dangerous vacuums and undermining hard-won gains.

“Peace operations remain one of the most cost-effective tools available to the international community for maintenance of international peace and security,” Ahmad said. “With a budget of $5.5 billion, UN peacekeeping worldwide constitutes less than 0.3 percent of global military spending.”

The ambassador added that peacekeeping missions must not be viewed as substitutes for political processes, but rather as mechanisms to enable them. He also stressed the need for credible, context-specific mandates and responsible, conditions-based transitions instead of calendar-driven exits.

Pakistan, one of the world’s top troop-contributing countries, has deployed over 235,000 peacekeepers to 48 missions across four continents over the past eight decades.

It currently hosts one of the UN’s oldest missions — the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) — and is a founding member of the Peacebuilding Commission.

Ahmed said a total of 182 Pakistani peacekeepers have lost their lives in service under the UN flag.

“Peacekeeping is not a silver bullet, but neither is it obsolete,” he said. “It remains the most legitimate, collaborative and cost-effective tool the international community possesses to stabilize conflicts and support political solutions.”