British Foreign and Commonwealth office (FCO) have decided to take up the issue of British Asians kidnapped in Pakistan with officials in Islamabad. FCO sources told Pakistan Today that they were alarmed by the increasing numbers of cases in which criminals in Pakistan were targeting British Pakistanis when they visit their homeland. Figures obtained from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) by the BBC shows that 22 people were kidnapped last year and officials says the figures represented cases reported to the UK authorities while actual figures could be much higher.
A number of families and community leaders said family members of victims are often too frightened to report the matter to authorities and decide to deal with it themselves, pay ransom and return home to Britain. They said the Punjab government set up a task force for the overseas Pakistanis and Zubair Gul, UK-based blue eyed boy of Sharif brothers was appointed as chairman but it also failed to resolve the difficulties confronted by the overseas Pakistanis back home.
North West MEP Sajjad Karim believes criminals in Pakistan were increasingly targeting visiting British Asians because they were seen as easy targets. Karim has supported a number of British people whose relatives have been kidnapped or killed while visiting family in Pakistan. He said, “Currently we have an absolutely horrendous situation whereby British Pakistanis are being actively targeted whilst they’re in Pakistan because they are seen as easy targets.” He said the Pakistani justice system requires victims to be present in the country in order for a case to proceed. “Whilst these circumstances exist, Britons visiting Pakistan are much more of a target. We need to put proper systems in place to ensure people don’t simply get away with targeting British Pakistanis in this way.”
