In recent weeks, a number of Chinese nationals were arrested in connection with alleged sham marriages with Pakistani women.
Marriages between Pakistani women and Chinese men have come under heavy scrutiny recently. TNS digs deeper into the reasons and malpractices behind this trend
It was May 8. Residents of Divine Garden Housing Society near Metro Cash & Carry along Lahore’s Airport Road were observing an extraordinary activity. In what seemed to be a sting operation, they could see personnel of law enforcement agencies closing up on a couple of houses. Once they got closer, they made orchestrated moves and took positions as if they were waiting for some final order.
Shortly afterwards they cordoned off the area and forced entry into these houses to arrest the inmates, including some Chinese nationals. A similar operation was carried out in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) the same day and it yielded similar results.
From information shared later on, these Chinese men were part of human trafficking gangs operating in the city targeting Christian women from poor families. Reportedly, they would approach such families through middlemen and pastors and seek girls who could become brides to husbands of Chinese origin and Christian faith. The couple were ultimately expected to go to China to settle down there.