When Aamir Ali, a 22-year-old cattle farmer from Gujranwala, Pakistan, handed over 1.2 million rupees (USD 4,278) to a relative-turned-smuggler who promised him a route to Spain, he did not expect to return home traumatized, broken, and yet fortunate to be alive.

In January 2025, Aamir became one of the few survivors of a fatal illegal migration attempt — one that claimed the lives of dozens of Pakistanis near the Moroccan port of Dakhla. His story is not just one of survival, but a disturbing window into the perilous “dunki” route that many young Pakistanis pursue out of desperation. “Dunki” is a Punjabi term commonly used in both India and Pakistan to describe migration, typically through illegal means involving hazardous sea or land crossings.

Faced with economic instability, political turmoil, and growing unemployment, more and more Pakistani youth are turning to human traffickers to escape the country. According to data from Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), over 40,000 Pakistanis were deported in 2023 alone after failed illegal migration attempts. Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat, and Mandi Bahauddin, Central-Punjab regions, once known for labor migration to the Gulf, are now key hotspots for “dunki” departures to Europe via West Africa.

Aamir says he knew the risks but felt he had no other option. “There was no certainty in Pakistan. Everyone I knew who left was doing well abroad,” he told Global Voices during a face-to-face interview. “I thought I could make it too.”

A promise turned into a trap The agent promised Aamir a legal visa and a flight to Spain within three months. Instead, he was flown to Senegal and transported overland to Mauritania under false pretences. There, the extortion began. The agent demanded another PKR 1.2 million rupees, equivalent to USD 4,278, and later, an additional PKR 2.1 million, equivalent to USD 7,488 in ransom money. His family had to sell their land to afford the sum.

For months, Aamir was shuffled between safe houses through criminal networks in North Africa. Conditions were inhumane. “We were starved, beaten, and treated like cargo,” he recalled.

On January 2, he was crammed onto a boat with 85 other migrants, mostly Pakistani men hoping to reach Spain. With a maximum capacity of only 40 people, the vessel was dangerously overloaded.

Just days into the journey, the traffickers dumped their food and supplies into the sea to lighten the boat, keeping only enough for themselves. The passengers, many of them already weak and malnourished, began to die from dehydration and starvation.

By the fifth day, the boat ran out of fuel. Stranded in the Atlantic, the traffickers turned violent by assaulting the migrants with hammers and metal rods. Those who died were dumped into the sea by force.

“We were made to throw our own brothers into the ocean,” Aamir said, his voice cracking. “If we refused, we were beaten or thrown.”

He still bears scars on his legs and back from the assaults.

By the thirteenth day, hope was nearly gone. Then, Moroccan fishermen spotted the vessel. “We screamed for help,” Aamir recalled. The traffickers tried to negotiate for fuel, but the survivors pleaded with the fishermen to take them ashore.

Two days later, the survivors were rescued and brought to Moroccan authorities. Aamir was eventually flown back to Pakistan with assistance from the Pakistani embassy.

The Moroccan boat disaster, one of the deadliest involving Pakistani migrants, led to the deaths of at least 50 people. Pakistan’s Foreign Office confirmed the deaths and repatriation of 13 bodies, with more expected.

As the closest point between Europe and Africa, many migrants try to enter Europe through Morocco, and illegal crossings are only increasing. In 2024, over 46,000 people braved the dangerous route and successfully crossed into Spain from Morocco — the highest number ever recorded. However, this figure doesn't account for the thousands who lose their lives each year, and the 78,000 people who were detained by Moroccan officials. According to data from the EU’s border and coast guard agency, Frontex, Pakistanis attempted to illegally enter Europe approximately 5,000 times in 2024.

“Stay home, live with dignity” Now, back in Gujranwala, Aamir is struggling to rebuild his life. His family is deep in debt, and the trauma still haunts him. But he is determined to speak out so others don’t fall into the same trap.

“No dream is worth this nightmare,” he said. “I was lucky to come back. Most don’t.”

He now spends his time warning other young men in his community against making the same mistake. “The agents sell you a dream,” he said. “But it ends in torture, death, or lifelong regret.”

On the condition of anonymity, an official from Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) spoke to Global Voices on the subject of illegal migration trends and the involvement of some FIA personnel in smuggling networks:

They are somehow involved and I would call them ‘ignocent,’ which means they are both ignorant and innocent at the same time. If they realize the fate of victims, they might not get involved in this.

While talking about the systemic vulnerabilities, he explained that flaws in regulatory oversight and the systems managing the offloading process make it easier for smugglers to operate in Pakistan.

The FIA official explained that the human trafficking occurs through a sprawling smuggling network where money flows through multiple intermediaries, likening the operation to a mafia structure. The boarding of the boats is marked as the most critical and dangerous point in the process.

They pay their money to their agents, they are mafia, they are common people who promise that it will be done, and for every part, there is another designated agent, and it is such a big network. The most tragic part is when they get on the boat.

When asked if some FIA officials might be financially benefiting from these networks, he responded: “Not all of them, but yes, a few of them.”

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Lahore has uncovered that in 2024, over 160 of its own officials were involved in human trafficking networks.

Those investigations exposed sophisticated smuggling networks and established contact between FIA agents and smugglers. This has raised significant internal concerns within the FIA about the need for stronger oversight and intervention measures.

‘You can’t fix this from Islamabad’ Despite the rising number of young Pakistanis risking their lives through irregular migration routes, popularly known as dunki, the government continues to fall short in addressing the root causes of human trafficking. Speaking to Global Voices during an in-person interview, Syed Kausar Abbas, Executive Director of the Sustainable Development Policy Organization (SSDO), didn’t mince words.

The state isn’t doing enough. Laws exist, but they’re not being implemented. And you can’t stop trafficking from Islamabad — this crisis begins in villages, in broken communities, and in the complete absence of local-level prevention.

According to Abbas, poverty and desperation make people vulnerable, but so does a cultural normalization of illegal migration, especially in rural Punjab, where families push younger generations to follow others abroad, no matter the risks.

People see others doing it and assume it’s the only way out. If four people from a family are in Europe, the fifth will be sent — ‘a few years of misery will pay off,’ they think.

He also slammed the government's failure to tackle internal enablers of trafficking networks: “These smugglers are not just working from the outside. They are embedded in our system. Some officials enable them. Until that’s addressed, we won’t see tangible change.”

Abbas highlighted how traffickers now exploit social media to lure youth with fake jobs and false promises, contributing to both cross-border and internal trafficking.

While the FIA’s national action plan exists on paper, Abbas said real progress depends on district-level implementation, which is nearly non-existent.

You can’t solve this crisis with policies sitting in federal offices. Local awareness, community involvement, and strong monitoring are completely missing.

SSDO’s advocacy led to the formation of a Special Committee on Anti-Human Smuggling in the Punjab Assembly, but Abbas stressed that it’s not nearly enough: “A committee that meets every two months doesn’t stop a network that operates every day. We need real investment in grassroots action.”

Abbas warned that the growing trust deficit between citizens and the state is driving more young people into the hands of traffickers.

People would rather give 2 to 3 million rupees to a smuggler than invest in Pakistan. They don’t believe in the system, that’s what’s killing us.

He called for migration awareness to be made part of the university curriculum through the Higher Education Commission and demanded better rehabilitation programs for those who return after failed journeys.

“These people are not criminals. They’re victims of a system that failed them. If we don’t rebuild their lives, others will follow the same path.”

On April 12, 2025, there was another boat capsizing incident off the Harawa coast near Sirte City, Eastern Libya, in which at least four Pakistanis were confirmed dead out of eleven casualties.

Published in Global Voices