Investigations show that at least 629 girls have been sold to China as wives since 2018, but the Pakistani government has not stopped drastically.

The number of Pakistani women trafficked to China as brides has been collected by investigators over the past two years in an effort to break down trafficking lines in the South Asian nation. However, most investigative efforts have come to a dead end.

According to some officials who are aware of the investigation, the reason why Pakistani government officials do not investigate this issue ultimately is because they do not want to affect the good, much-beneficial relationship with China. .

The biggest case is about traffickers who have failed. In October, a court in Faisalabad acquitted 31 Chinese nationals of alleged trafficking in a trafficking line. Some women refused to be witnesses due to threats or bribes, while two others agreed to go to court on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

According to Saleem Iqbal, an activist who helped many families save the bribes from being sold to China, officials of the Federal Investigation Agency of Pakistan (FIA) are under a lot of pressure when the government tries to stop them. back to their investigations about human trafficking networks.

"Some FIA officials have been transferred," Iqbal said. "Pakistani leaders almost ignored when we mentioned this issue." When asked about the complaints, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to respond.

Investigators were disappointed when all their efforts were blocked, while the media was also limited to reporting on human trafficking.

"Nobody has done anything to help these girls," an unnamed official said. "The human trafficking network is expanding, because they know it is easy to escape a crime. Authorities ignore it, while investigators are under pressure. As a result, human trafficking is on the rise."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was unaware of the list of Pakistani women sold to the country as brides.

"The governments of China and Pakistan both support the people of the two countries marrying on a voluntary basis and in compliance with the law, and will resolutely prevent and zero tolerance for anyone involved in kissing. "The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement to the AP office in Beijing on December 2.

An AP investigation earlier this year found that small Christian communities in Pakistan had become the new target of traffickers. The target is young girls from poor families. Their parents often receive large sums of money to send their children to China, with the promise of a good life across the border.

However, many Pakistani brides are then beaten, abused or forced into prostitution in China, and must find a way to contact home to be rescued to Pakistan.

More than 10 Pakistani brides lucky enough to escape China say the human trafficking line is often set up by Chinese and Pakistani brokers, as well as Christian pastors of small churches, who receive repentance. exposing pious sheep to sell their daughters. Investigators even found a Muslim cleric who ran a marriage broker office in his own religious school.

"Chinese and Pakistani middlemen often receive 4-10 million rupees (about US $ 25,000-65,000) from the Chinese groom, but only give Pakistani families 200,000 rupees (about US $ 1,500)," an official said. Pakistan's senior official, who declined to be named, said.

According to this person, many Pakistani brides said they were sexually abused and violated, even some were forced to sell sex.

In September, Pakistani investigating authorities sent Prime Minister Imran Khan a report on fake marriages in China. The report provided detailed evidence against 52 Chinese nationals and 20 Pakistani nationals involved in bridal trafficking in two cities of Punjab, Faisalabad and Lahore, as well as the capital, Islamabad. However, the Chinese defendants in this case were acquitted.

According to Pakistani human rights activists, the bride trade was "submerged" by the government so as not to affect the increasingly strong economic ties with China. China has had an alliance with Pakistan for decades, providing military aid packages as well as nuclear equipment to Pakistan. Pakistan is also benefiting from China's Belt and Road Initiative with a $ 75 billion project.

The demand for foreign brides in China has increased sharply in recent years, after the country enforced a strict one-child policy for 35 years, putting about 34 million men at risk of being alone.

Omar Warriach, a member of Amnesty International in South Asia, said that Pakistan should not ignore human rights violations against its citizens, such as the trafficking of brides.

"It's horrible to see women being treated this way, while the governments of the two countries seem to be ignoring this issue. The sadder thing is when it happens on the scale it is today," Warriach said. know.