GUJRAT, Oct 5: The passion to settle in Europe and Middle Eastern countries in whatever illegal way has never diminished in the people of Gujrat despite a number of deaths in pitiable circumstances during the course of travel.

Out of the six Gujranwala region districts, Gujrat, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Narowal and Mandi Bahauddin, the Gujrat district takes a lead in illegal immigrants and human agents.

The illegal immigrants adopt every possible route – air, ship or land – to reach their overseas destination, but the land route has always remained charming and affordable for most of them.

A survey reveals that out of around 1,000 human traffickers operating in the Gujranwala region, more than 50 per cent belong to Gujrat and 20 per cent to Mandi Bahauddin district which was part of Gujrat before getting the status of a district in 1993.

At least 20 human traffickers of Gujrat are on the most wanted list of the Federal Investigation Agency.

Sources in the FIA say that following the 9/11 incident, the Pakistan government has taken a lot more preventive measures to rein in the menace of illegal human trafficking.

They say the agency has made it difficult for the people to enter Europe illegally by air route. The human trafficking to the US has now become almost impossible owing to the harsh steps taken by American and Pakistani governments at airports.

Now the only gateway left for the illegal immigrants to Europe from Pakistan is the land route via Iran, Turkey and Greece borders.

According to a survey, at least 500 major and minor human traffickers are operating in Gujrat district, especially in Kharian tehsil, who are involved in sending people to Greece by receiving Rs500,000 to Rs800,000 from each client.

Under the agreement, the traffickers are bound to make maximum three attempts to get their client crossed the Turkish and Greece borders.

The land route is much popular among the people of rural areas because they are capable enough to face tough conditions and circumstances which every illegal immigrant has to come across while crossing the borders.

Revealing his ordeal, a deported youth, Yasir alias Chand (19) of Bhimbher Road, Gujrat, said he had given Rs100,000 to an agent as advance while the remaining amount of Rs500,000 was to be paid after he reached Greece.

But he could not reach his destination in two attempts because he was deported first from Iran and then from Turkey.

He said he was all set to avail of his third and the last chance despite difficult circumstances he had to encounter during his last two attempts.

Another deportee, Anjum (21) of a Kharian village, said human agents of Gujrat had a large network in Iran. He said these agents had acquired houses on rent in the suburbs of Tehran and Istanbul where they lodged their clients.

On the direction of their agent, he said, they reached Gwadar by a bus hired from Karachi. From Gwadar, they again hired a mini-truck to cross the Pakistan-Iran border from the Mandbilu area to avoid any check post.

Sources in the FIA confirmed the presence of major human agents in Iran, Turkey and Greek. They said the most wanted human traffickers among them were Malik Sheraz, Mahmood Butt, Malik Asif, Aamir Butt, Agha Inayat, Nusrat Butt and Asif Ajnala.

Husain Asghar, the deputy director of FIA’s Gujranwala circle, admitted that despite making every effort the agency had so far not been able to curb the menace of human trafficking.

He said the Gujranwala circle had arrested 599 traffickers during the first eight months of the current year.

Mr Asghar said more check posts should be established, especially on Karachi-Gwadar and Quetta-Taftan routes, to curb the menace.