ISLAMABAD – Seven more people – including three Chinese nationals – werearrested on Tuesday as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) continues itscrackdown on a gang allegedly involved in the trafficking of women to Chinafor prostitution.The FIA identified the arrested suspects as Song Chuaoyang (ring leader),Rafique Hussain (translator and manager), Sajid (facilitator), Guyong Da,Saima Mustafa, Fusing Bu and Saba Jahangir.
The raid — which was conducted under the supervision of FIA Anti-HumanTrafficking Cell Rawalpindi’s Deputy Director Kamran Ali — took place aftertwo women, Tayyaba Gul and Beenish Rasheed, appeared before the directorgeneral of FIA to tip the agency off regarding the gang’s activities.
The arrests come a week after Human Rights Watch said Pakistan should bealarmed by recent reports of trafficking of women and girls to China. Itsaid the allegations were disturbingly similar to the pattern oftrafficking of “brides” to China from at least five other Asian countries.
The Chinese embassy in Islamabad has also raised the alarm over illegal,cross-border matchmaking services that are often a front for humantrafficking.
Last month, it issued a statement condemning reports of the existence ofbureaus orchestrating illegal marriages.
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“China is working together with the Pakistani government and lawenforcement agencies to track these illegal marriage centres,” thestatement said.
The embassy has denied reports that the women were being trafficked for thesale of their organs as “misleading and groundless”.
