Islamabad: Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi presenting souvenir to Ambassador of Italy H.E Marilina Armellin on May 10, 2024.
Tazeen Akhtar
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Italian Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E Mirelena Armellini, here at the Ministry of Interior. During the meeting bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest were discussed.
According to the Press Release of the Ministry, the Interior Minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to combat human trafficking, stating that a zero-tolerance policy has been adopted against human smuggling mafias. He emphasized that those involved in human trafficking will not only face imprisonment but also financial penalties.
Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi in a meeting with Ambassador of Italy H.E Marilina Armellin in Islamabad on May 10, 2024.
Interior Minister further stated that skilled Pakistani workers would be sent to Italy through legal channels, which will contribute to the remittances.
During the meeting, it was also agreed to sign an agreement to prevent illegal entry of Pakistanis into Italy and to enhance mutual cooperation in this regard. The minister directed the concerned authorities to finalize the agreement at the earliest.
The Italian ambassador appreciated the Interior Minister’s efforts to combat human trafficking and assured full cooperation in this regard.
The proposal to declare Milan and Islamabad as sister cities was also discussed during the meeting.
Interior Minister congratulated the Italian ambassador on her appointment and expressed good wishes for her tenure. The meeting was attended by Secretary Interior Khurram Ali Agha and senior officials of the Italian Embassy.
Here it is worth noting that no issue of the problems of legal Pakistanis was discussed in the meeting. Thousands of Pakistanis are waiting for their appointments and they are not called by the embassy while the dates of their tickets or visits are expired. They include workers with legal work permits, students with admissions, family union applicants and other.
The biggest illegal activity in Pakistan Italy emigration immigration etc matter occurred inside the embassy itself. 1000, not 1,2,3,4,5 but one thousand visa tickets were stolen inside Italy embassy in June 2021.750 stolen visa stickers had serial numbers from ITA041913251 to ITA041914000 and 250 had numbers from ITA041915751 to ITA041916000. Pakistanis do not know who from inside the embassy was caught as culprit neither any Pakistani authority ever discuss the matter when Pakistanis only are blamed for illegal activities.
Last year the legal Pakistanis in Italy staged protests in front of Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome. They were demanding appointments for their families to submit their reunion cases that the Embassy in Islamabad was not allowing. The Italian ministry sent a delegation of Pakistanis to Pakistan for a meeting with the then Italian Ambassador in this regard. But the problem still persists and prevails to the extreme mental and financial loss of legal Pakistanis.
No Pakistani authority has ever raised this issue to the Italian representatives who always shifts the burden to Pakistanis for every problem in the travel of Pakistanis to Italy.
As long as, illegal entry into Italy is concerned, the main route is from North African countries including Libya. There have been many accidents in the Mediterranean Sea while shifting the illegal aspirants to Europe on boats. No Pakistani authority has ever bothered to engage with the North African countries in this regard.
