Pakistan arrests over 20 Chinese for trafficking girls into prostitution

Over 20 Chinese have been arrested from various Pakistani cities during an ongoing crackdown for their alleged involvement in arranging illegal marriages of young Pakistani girls to Chinese nationals and forcing them into prostitution, officials said Wednesday.

The crackdown was launched this week after media reports said that several Pakistani girls were subjected to sexual exploitation by Chinese husbands after going to China.

The officials said that over 20 Chinese have been arrested from various Pakistani cities for their involvement in arranging fake marriages of Pakistani women and removing their organs and forcing them into prostitution.

The Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Anti-Human Trafficking Cell arrested 14 Chinese from twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and recovered three Pakistani girls, said the officials in the Ministry of Interior.

"For the first time illegal weapons were also recovered from the arrested Chinese," officials said, adding the rescued women revealed that they were being taken to China.

Hundreds of Chinese have come to live in Pakistan in connection with various development work undertaken by the Chinese companies.

Earlier, interior minister Ijaz Shah ordered action against those involved in illegal marriages and sending women to China.

He also asked officials to get in touch with the Chinese embassy to address the issue.

Chairman of the Senate standing committee on interior Rehman Malik has sought a detailed report in three days on women trafficking to China.

The government recently ordered the FIA to take action against the gangs involved in smuggling of Pakistani girls to China on the pretext of contracting marriage.

According to the local media reports, poor Christian girls are lured with money and promises of a ''good life'' by the illegal matchmaking centres to marry Chinese men who are either visiting or working in Pakistan.

These centres produce fake documents of Chinese men showing them either as Christians or Muslims. Most of the girls reportedly became victims of human trafficking and were forced into prostitution, the report said.

-PTI