and agents of smuggling and trafficking. There is a need for collaboration between the BEOE and the
AHTCs acting under PACHTO since the BEOE is responsible for penalizing OEPs for transgressing
the Emigration Ordinance of 1979. Most migration-related offences usually end up in fines that cause
little, if any, deterrence to sophisticated networks and transnational actors who earn substantial sums
from smuggling and trafficking activities. As demonstrated by the information in Section 1 on BEOE
complaints, the compounding nature of migration offences means if any such cases come to light, they
are settled through compensation or fines and rarely result in licence cancellations or prosecution.
There exists no common database for these complaints and many often end up being duplicated and
remain unresolved. There is a need for coordination between authorities responsible for oversight of
OEPs and subagents and those dealing with smuggling and trafficking. The governance of migratory
movements when seen as a clearly demarcated area, with responsibilities delineated between the various
institutions, hinders joint efforts to prevent migrant workers coerced into smuggling prohibited drugs
from being exploited by fraudulent actors. To date, no relief has been provided to detainees on death
row on false narcotics smuggling charges by any of the various institutions responsible for controlling
migration, trafficking and smuggling.
3.2 Imprisoned Without Consular Assistance
In all of the cases documented for this report, none of the families of migrant worker prisoners were
informed of the arrest of their relatives. They came to know of their relatives’ arrest several weeks
or months after their incident, and only after the prisoner was able to call back home. None of the
families of the detainees mentioned in the 2014 petition by JPP had any communication by the Riyadh
embassy or Jeddah consulate regarding the imprisonment of their family member. “The government
never notified us about Anwar or his imprisonment or his criminal case. We are alone in this process,”
said Anwar’s family.
Based on interviews conducted with detainees, family members, and Pakistanis in the GCC advocating
for the rights of detainees, most of the prisoners did not seek consular services because they felt they
would be wasting their time, energy and limited phone calls since the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh and
consulate in Jeddah had a reputation for being unresponsive and unhelpful. According to them, embassy
officials rarely visited them or provided any assistance, unlike embassy officials from other countries
who regularly visited their prisoners. As one detainee noted, “Who could I ask for help for the appeals
process? Our embassy doesn’t even come to see Pakistani citizens in jail, why would they help us in an
appeals process? They just don’t have time.”40 Those who did contact Pakistani officials, only received
assistance with matters such as deportation or, at most, the payment of fines.
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