Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Gujranwala has arrested 22 men for pretending to be professional football players. However, the matter is more serious than it seems. It’s not only about pretending to be football players. It involves an illegal immigration syndicate.
The “Pakistani football team” travelled to Japan, as all the men pretended to be professional footballers. However, Japanese immigration deported them after officials had discovered their forged travel documents, Geo TV reported.
The men, wearing football kits, claimed they were linked with the Pakistan Football Federation. They also claimed to have matches lined up in Japan. Nevertheless, the fraud was quickly detected.
The FIA has confirmed Malik Waqas to be the main suspect who set up a fake club called Golden Football Trial. He was arrested along with trafficker Ali, the Pakistani news publication added.
“The arrest of Waqas Ali is a significant development in the ongoing efforts to dismantle human trafficking networks operating in the country,” Geo TV quoted a FIA spokesperson as saying.
Investigations show that each man paid 4 million Pakistani rupees (nearly ₹12.5 lakh) for the trip. According to authorities, the group was trained to act like professional players.
Waqas has admitted that he sent 17 more people to Japan in January 2024 using the same method. Those men never came back to Pakistan.
The FIA has registered a case, and efforts are on to track down others involved in this human trafficking network.
Illegal immigration in Pakistan
Every year, many Pakistanis leave their country through illegal routes in search of a better life, according to the Pakistani publication. Some of them lose their lives in tragic accidents, it added.
To address this, the United Nations in Pakistan launched the Pakistan UN Network on Migration (UNNM) in August. This initiative aims to fight human trafficking and manage migration more effectively.
UNNM aligns with global frameworks like the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Global Compact for Safe Migration. The programme supports Pakistan’s national efforts against migrant smuggling.
AloJapan.com