–3 more Chinese nationals suspected of fake marriages arrested from Islamabad
–Embassy says it supports Pakistan’s action against Chinese nationals who commit crimes in host country
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday arrested three more Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in fake marriages and human trafficking from the Islamabad airport, as a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy claimed that there is no forced prostitution or sale of human organs for those Pakistani women who stay in China after marriage with Chinese.
The FIA’s immigration cell also took into custody three local women who were accompanying the Chinese men. The three couples were intercepted as they were about to leave for China.
The development comes a day after the FIA announced that it had already taken 11 Chinese nationals into custody for a probe into a transnational gang allegedly involved in prostitution and the illegal organ trade.
An FIA press release detailed how the agency had come to know about the the suspected ring, which involves large sums of money changing hands for the contracting of fake marriages between vulnerable Pakistani women and Chinese men. The women are later allegedly trafficked into prostitution in China.
According to the FIA, a woman from Lahore was married off to a Chinese national after her father was approached by an ‘agent’ claiming to run a marriage bureau.
The ‘agent’ told the father that he was in contact with some foreign individuals who had recently converted to Islam and were looking for Pakistani girls to marry.
The ‘agent’ said that the Chinese man would reside permanently in Pakistan, but spend a few months a year abroad with his wife, who would be helped find employment as domestic help to earn some money.
The man then married off his daughter to a Chinese man, Chan Yen Ming, who had introduced himself to the Pakistani family as Musa. He told his father-in-law that he was a converted Muslim.
Three to four days after marrying the woman, Ming took her to China, the FIA statement said. Sometime later, the woman called her family to tell them that they had been conned.
She said that Musa had only posed as a Muslim and had not actually converted to Islam. She also told her family that Ming was trying to force her into prostitution and had physically abused her upon her refusal.
She also said that some people in China were running a business of luring Pakistani women into China to force them into prostitution, and that the suspects were also running an organ trade racket, the FIA press release stated.
Hearing this, the woman’s father contacted the agent who had set up the marriage and was told to contact their boss Wei Lin Ping, alias David, in Islamabad.
Upon approaching the boss, Ping said that he had paid Rs2 million to the agent for the woman, and unless the father could return the money she would either have to engage in prostitution or sell her organs.
FIA CRACKDOWN:
When the FIA was informed about the incident, a request was sent to the Pakistan High Commission in China, and the woman was repatriated to Pakistan.
Back home, the woman informed the FIA of the ringleader Ping’s residence in Lahore. Using her tip off, the FIA conducted a raid and arrested at least eight Chinese individuals and two Pakistanis, and recovered the eight Chinese and three Pakistani passports, the press release said.
The FIA later arrested three more Chinese nationals who, according to the agency, were connecting potential grooms with local agents, who were responsible for engaging possible victims. The three were arrested in different raids from the surrounding areas of Lahore.
EMBASSY DENIES REPORTS:
In Islamabad, the Chinese embassy’s spokesperson said that they have noted the media reports and that the Pakistani side is taking measures in accordance with its domestic laws and regulations. Relevant cases are now under investigation.
China’s position on the issue of transnational marriage is very clear, that is to protect legitimate marriages and combat crimes.
“If any organisation or individual commits a crime in Pakistan under the banner of the cross-border marriage, China supports the Pakistani side to crack down on it according to Pakistani laws,” he said.
The Ministry of Public Security of China sent a task force to Pakistan to carry out law enforcement cooperation with the Pakistani side.
China will further strengthen cooperation with the law enforcement agencies in Pakistan, effectively combat crime, so as to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the two peoples, and jointly safeguard China-Pakistan friendly relations.
It is worth noting that several media reports have fabricated facts and spread rumours.
According to investigations by the Ministry of Public Security of China, there is no forced prostitution or sale of human organs for those Pakistani women who stay in China after marriage with Chinese.