28,000 Pakistanis requested asylum in EU in a year: report

Between October 2023 and October 2024, a total of 28,000 visa applications were submitted by Pakistanis to seek asylum in the European Union Plus countries and Italy emerged as their most sought-after destination.

The European Union's Agency for Asylum (EUAA) reported a decline in asylum applications from Pakistan.

While 34,000 applications were submitted in October 2023, this number plummeted to just 1,900 by October 2024.

According to the report, Italy remained the most preferred destination for Pakistani asylum seekers, followed by France, Greece, and Germany.

The “Country Focus in Pakistan Report” issued by the EUAA stated that EU-plus countries granted refugee status or subsidiary protection in the EU to just 12% of Pakistanis from around 20,000 applications, decided at the first instance. 

At least 34,000 pending applications have not been decided so far, according to the report.

The report provided an in-depth analysis of the country's political landscape and security context and covered the country’s treatment of individuals from certain backgrounds and groups, as well as Afghan refugees.

The report attributed the desire to emigrate to the need to escape from forced labour or forced marriage, as statistics showed that an estimated 2.4 million people were subjected to forced labour or forced marriage. 

Pakistan ranks among the countries that are most vulnerable to modern slavery. The country  is actively combats trafficking issues, including the illicit trade in human organs.

Despite having laws against trafficking, the country could not meet the targets to eliminate human trafficking in 2023, as the report identified the fragile democracy and poor accountability system as main hurdles to strengthen the accountability system against those involved in such practices.