Pakistan, Türkiye aim to boost trade to $5 billion, deepen energy and defense ties

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested five suspects involved in smuggling citizens to Iran and Turkiye, the agency said on Saturday, amid an ongoing crackdown against human smugglers in the country.

The arrests were made by the FIA in Taftan and Loralai border towns of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, which shares a long porous border with Iran and Afghanistan.

The development comes amid a crackdown on agents involved in sending impoverished Pakistanis abroad through dangerous routes, luring them with a chance at a better life in Europe.

The arrested suspects, identified as Rasool Bacha, Aminullah, Hashmat Ali, Talib Hussain and Ehsanullah, worked for an agent, Faheem Gujjar, based in Iran, according to the FIA.

“The suspects Rasool Bacha, Aminullah and Hashmat Ali are involved in illegally transporting citizens to Iran and Turkiye,” the FIA said in a statement. “Talib Hussain and Ehsanullah were found involved in helping citizens illegally cross the border.”

The suspects had been on the ‘most-wanted list’ of Pakistani embassies in Iran and Turkiye, according to the FIA. They used to smuggle citizens from Pakistan to Iran, from where they would arrange for their travel further to Turkiye.

“Four innocent civilians were also rescued from the suspects’ house during the raid,” the FIA said.

The Pakistani government has ramped up efforts in recent months to combat human smugglers facilitating dangerous journeys for illegal immigrants to Europe, resulting in several arrests.

Last month, the FIA arrested five suspects in Punjab’s Gujranwala and Gujrat districts who were said to be involved in human smuggling and defrauding citizens.

Prior to that, the FIA said it had arrested an agent involved in the Morocco boat tragedy, in which dozens of Pakistanis attempting to travel illegally to Europe had drowned near the African country’s coast.

The boat had set off from Mauritania in January with 86 migrants on board, among them 66 Pakistanis, for the Canary Islands administered by Spain, international rights group Walking Borders had said. Moroccan authorities said on January

16 that 36 people were rescued from the vessel, while Pakistan confirmed survivors of the tragedy included 22 of its nationals.

A record 10,457 migrants, or 30 people a day, died trying to reach Spain in 2024. Most of them died while attempting to cross the Atlantic route from West African countries such as Mauritania and Senegal to the Canary Islands, according to Walking Borders.

In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos, marking one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, will undertake an official visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on Sunday to hold with top officials and to launch a land record project for the Pakistani diaspora, the Pakistani foreign office said on Saturday.

In London, Dar will hold meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pakistan Hamish Falconer, in addition to a breakfast meeting with Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.

The deputy prime minister will also engage with British parliamentarians and Kashmiri leaders during his visit, according to the Pakistani foreign office.

“The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister will also inaugurate a Punjab Land Record Authority’s project, piloted at the Pakistan High Commission, London,” it said. “The initiative aims to assist members of the diaspora in resolving land documentation issues in Pakistan remotely.”

The UK is one of Pakistan’s largest bilateral development partners, with cooperation spanning education, health, climate resilience, governance reform and trade. It is home to one of the largest Pakistani diasporas, estimated at over 1.6 million people, who contribute significantly to remittances, business and cultural links.

These Pakistani expatriates often complain of prolonged procedures relating to sale, purchase, transfer and settlement of disputes relating to their lands back home. The initiative is likely to streamline processes to facilitate Pakistanis living in the UK.

The governments in Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces have also saved billions of rupees and unlocked significant new resources for development under a landmark British-backed governance program that concluded this year, according to the British High Commission.

The UK’s Sub-National Governance Program, which ran from 2019 to 2025, worked with provincial authorities to improve planning, budgeting and revenue mobilization. The program unlocked over £1.9 billion ($2.41 billion) in public finance, allowing savings to be reinvested into other public services.

“This program shows what is possible when strong partnerships come together to support long-term reform, changing people’s lives,” British High Commission Development Director Sam Waldock said on Aug. 13.

“We’ve strengthened institutions, improved service delivery, and helped Pakistan unlock more of its resources to finance its own development. That has led to direct improvements to the day to day lives of millions — from helping people to access essential cash assistance, to creating waste management systems which makes their surroundings cleaner and more hygienic.”

Last month, Pakistan and the United Kingdom (UK) decided to form a new business advisory council as officials from both countries met in London at the inaugural UK-Pakistan Trade Dialogue.

The council will bring together senior business leaders and government officials to provide strategic advice on policy reform, offer a confidential forum for engagement, and help promote commercial opportunities by addressing market access challenges and sharing best practices.