Parliament has raised alarm over horrific revelations of atrocities against Pakistani citizens in Cambodia, where victims are allegedly being held hostage, tortured, extorted, and even sold for their organs, says in media reportsThe National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Rights expressed anger at the Ministry of Interior after learning that 18,000 Pakistanis travelled to Cambodia within a year.

Committee Chairman Agha Rafiullah accused the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of facilitating these departures and questioned why officials fail to scrutinize people traveling on fresh passports under the pretext of tourism.Lawmakers cited widespread complaints that Pakistanis in Cambodia, bordering Thailand and Vietnam, are being kidnapped, electrocuted, extorted, and trafficked.

In many cases, criminals reportedly have the expertise to remove body parts for illegal sale.Chairman Agha Rafiullah said many victims were lured to Cambodia through fraudulent agents and later sold for their organs. He stressed that Cambodia offers no major tourism or business attractions, yet thousands continue to travel there under suspicious circumstances.The committee strongly criticized the FIA and raised concerns about the vacant position of director general (DG) of the Bureau of Immigration.

Rafiullah questioned: “If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs managed to rescue 700 people, how did another 18,000 Pakistanis go to Cambodia in just one year? Does the acting DG have all the powers needed to stop this trafficking?”He added that complaints had been piling up for months. “We raised the issue and recovered some people, but the numbers are alarming. Within a year, thousands are leaving for a country that has nothing to offer,” he said.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)