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Muscat: Iran is determined not to become a transit point for human trafficking to the Gulf region via Pakistan, Iran's ambassador to Oman told Gulf News on Wednesday.
"It is obvious that our government is keen to stop the practice of our ports being used to ferry illegal human traffic," Morteza Rahimi said.
He said the strict measures taken by the Iranian police had checked the number of illegal immigrants crossing Iran to come to Oman in particular and Gulf in general.
Modus operandi
Gullible and poor Pakistanis are duped by traffickers to be dropped off along the 1,600-km coastline of Oman by sea route, via Iranian ports.
Over 40,000 illegal Pakistani immigrants were sent back between 2002 and 2007.
The modus operandi of human trafficking involve sending the illegal immigrants across to Iran on foot or by vehicles and from Iranian ports in small dhows and boats to the Gulf region.
Rahimi admitted that illegal immigration was a problem that bothers Iran as its ports are being used to send illegal migrants from Pakistan to the other countries in the Gulf region.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, during his official visit to Oman in 2005, had also voiced concern over illegal immigration from Pakistan to Oman.
Pakistan embassy's former Community Welfare Attaché Sohail Qadeer Siddiqi had also raised concerns about Iran being used as a transit point and the need to involve all three countries - Iran, Oman and Pakistan - to deal with the problem.
"The tripartite efforts have gathered pace and are already showing results with slowing down of the illegal immigrants' movement from Pakistan to Oman via Iran," said the Iranian ambassador.
He also said Major General Dr Esmail Ahmadi Muqadam, Commander of Police Forces in the Islamic Republic of Iran, had held talks in the last month with Lieutenant General Malek Bin Sulaiman Al Maamari, Inspector General of Police and Customs, tackle the issue of illegal immigrants coming to Oman from Pakistan via Iran.
"Iranian police is taking strict action against those involved in the crime and we have increased vigilance on the Pakistan-Iran border as well on our souther borders in water with Oman," he assured.
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