The US State Department has conferred Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Hero Award to Pakistan’s former director of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Sardar Zaheer Ahmed for his heroic work in fight against human trafficking, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Friday.
The State Department selected only eight people from around the world to honour their services in fight against human smuggling. Pakistan’s Zaheer Ahmed is one of them.
Zaheer Ahmed received his Hero Award from US Secretary of State Antony Blinked at a ceremony held at the State Department on Thursday.
Zaheer Ahmed was selected for the award in recognition of his efforts spanning from 2019 to 2022 to combat human trafficking.
https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/1669466633952174082
2023 TIP Report Heroes
Each year, the US Department of State honours individuals around the world who have devoted their lives to the fight against human trafficking. These individuals include NGO workers, lawmakers, government officials, survivors of human trafficking, and concerned citizens. They are recognized for their tireless efforts—despite some working in challenging environments where human trafficking concerns remain pervasive and facing resistance, opposition, or threats to their lives—to protect victims, punish offenders, and mitigate the underlying factors that cause vulnerabilities traffickers often target.
Following is the list of 2023 TIP Report Heroes: Pureza Lopes Loyola (Brazil), Mech Dara (Cambodia), Imran Ali Abdulabbas Al-Sailawi and Basim Al-Amri (Iraq), Zaheer Ahmed Pakistan (Pakistan), Paola Hittscher (Peru), Eumelis Moya Goitte (Venezuela) and R Evon Benson-Idahosa (Nigeria).
https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1669416952865931266
According to the US State Department, Zaheer Ahmed is a deputy inspector general in Pakistan’s Police Service, and previously served as Director of the Federal Investigative Agency’s (FIA) Anti-Human Smuggling Unit. Mr Ahmed was instrumental in increasing Pakistan’s efforts to combat human trafficking during his time as director of this unit. The FIA significantly expanded its cooperation with various stakeholders, strategic planning, and information sharing on anti-trafficking efforts, resulting in a significant increase in arrests and prosecutions of traffickers.
Through the tireless efforts of his Anti-Human Smuggling Unit, Mr Ahmed helped drive the modernization of Pakistan’s anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling laws and the formulation and implementation of a National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling.
His team’s efforts laid the groundwork for the Federal Cabinet’s approval in 2021 of bylaws to the 2018 laws on human trafficking and migrant smuggling. This important work contributed to the effective implementation of the groundbreaking legislation. He leveraged his engagement across Pakistan’s federal and provincial bureaucracies to lobby successfully for Pakistan’s ratification of the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, which Pakistan acceded to in November 2022.
Mr Ahmed significantly improved coordination and cooperation between law enforcement and civil society organizations, which enhanced understanding and support for trafficking victims. Ahmed was also instrumental in developing data collection mechanisms and analysis of trafficking in persons data from all stakeholders.
Through his sustained efforts to collaborate with civil society and international organizations, Mr Ahmed has shown the importance of working with various stakeholders when investing resources in anti-trafficking policies and programs, as well as the impressive results that can be generated by law enforcement stakeholders’ dedication to combating trafficking in persons.
Reporter Tayyab Saif