Making traffickers pay

The 17-year rigorous imprisonment awarded to two traffickers by a Gujranwala court is therefore a welcome demonstration of the consequences that must await such offenders.International cooperation must also form a central part of the effort to dismantle human trafficking networks.

Pakistan must strengthen coordination with transit and destination countries to facilitate intelligence-sharing and joint investigations.

The state must demonstrate that trafficking is neither a profitable enterprise nor a crime whose consequences can be evaded through influence or procedural delays.