GUJRAT:
The number of deportees from Libya and Greece convicted for attempting illegal migration has climbed to 64 after a local court on Thursday sentenced another man from Gujranwala, as authorities pressed ahead with a sweeping crackdown on human trafficking networks across central Punjab.
A Special Judge Central in Gujranwala convicted a deportee under Section 17(1) of the Emigration Ordinance, 1979, which deals with unlawful emigration.
The court sentenced him to the period already served in judicial custody and imposed a fine of Rs50,000.
The latest conviction comes nearly a month after around 200 Pakistanis, intercepted by Libyan authorities while attempting to reach Italy by boat, were repatriated on two special flights with the assistance of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Of them, around 90 belonged to the Gujranwala region, where the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) launched prosecutions through its circles in Gujranwala, Gujrat and Sialkot.
Over the past two weeks, special courts in Gujranwala, Gujrat and Sialkot have convicted 64 deportees in summary trials after they admitted to illegally crossing international borders.
Most of those convicted received prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 days, along with fines between Rs25,000 and Rs50,000.
According to the court rulings, the time already spent in judicial custody, generally between 10 and 15 days, was counted towards the sentence, allowing the convicts to secure their release after paying the fines imposed.
The deportees were among at least 200 Pakistanis detained by Libyan authorities while attempting to board boats bound for Italy.
Around 90 of the deportees belonged to the Gujranwala region. The FIA registered cases against them through its Gujranwala, Gujrat and Sialkot circles before producing them before the relevant courts.
