Lahore: Prostitution by foreign females thrives in city

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Ali Raza
PROSTITUTION by foreigner females is going on unchecked in posh localities of the provincial capital as well as in other big cities due to lack of interest of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in curbing this crime.

The prostitution across the country operates underground and is also thriving in the country with the addition of foreigner girls. The phenomenon of using foreigner girls for prostitution is not a new one and Pakistan is considered a hotspot for females belonging to Central Asian Countries and Bangladesh.

FIA sources said that most of the prostitution dens where foreigner prostitutes were working were mostly situated in Defence, Gulberg, Faisal Town, Wapda Town and other posh localities. The sources claimed that the FIA’s passport cell did not take any action against any of these dens and in case of a complaint; the case was referred to the police, which took action in routine.

In the provincial capital, the majority of the foreigner prostitutes belonged to Russia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and other parts of central Asia. Most of the business and booking was done on cell phones, another FIA official said, adding that most of these foreigner prostitutes did not have valid visas or passports and were smuggled into the country via Afghanistan, Dubai or Iran.

One of such dens is operating in Wapda Town, FIA sources said, adding everybody noticed these women but no one dares to lodge a complaint. They claimed that the den was operating in the flats behind the G Block market. Earlier, this gang was operating in D2 Block of Wapda Town and some two months back, they packed their bags from there after a police raid.

The sources said in that raid the police arrested 11 foreigner girls and the ringleader Hina Khan besides recovering four cars from the spot. The sources said the police registered a case number 822/08 against the accused females under section 371-A and 371-B.

It is pertinent to mention here that the police did not impose Sec 14 of Foreigner Act against these females due to reason best known to the SHO Sattukatla police. A police official claimed that proclaimed offenders used to visit this den and it was also mentioned in the FIR.

FIA sources said the rackets dealing in foreign prostitutes were very well connected and if any official tries to take action against them, he would have to face many difficulties. They said that some two years back an Assistant Director of FIA Passport Cell Gohar Sarfraz raided the den of Hina Khan to arrest foreigner females who were living there without legal documents. He said the influential mafia managed to get Gohar repatriated to Airport Security Force (ASF) and the case was hushed up.

A senior FIA official said that prostitutes from CAR countries were rotated in a circuit that included several Gulf States through Karachi. Russians and other Central Asians first trickled into Karachi under the protection of Soviet mafia and corrupt officials and the business was on its peck in the late 1980.

The official claimed that at present Islamabad has become the hub of these smuggled females. He said according to estimates of international agencies and NGOs more than 10,000 prostitutes had arrived in Pakistan.

He said some two years back a team of FIA raided the same gang in Wapda Town and arrested nine foreign prostitutes. In 2006, he said, the FIA teams had busted several prostitution dens, which were offering foreign prostitutes.

He said that during interrogation, some of those prostitutes were found to be spies.When contacted, Deputy Director FIA Passport Circle Lahore did not pick up his cell phone (03018485861). No other official of FIA is ready to give official version on the issue.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=139664