CASE STUDY OF IRREGULAR MIGRATION FROM PAKISTAN TO EUROPE: REFLECTIONS ON THE CONTEMPORARY TRENDS

Abstract

Europe has experienced a high level of legal or illegal migration in recent years. Among those arrived in Europe without authorization and those who already lived three, the number reach into the millions, though together they make up a small share of Europe’s total population. Regular or irregular migration is a global phenomenon, with movements both within nations and internationally across borders. The current article aims at exploring the prevalence of irregular migration from Pakistan to Europe and the main actors behind this hideous disorder. The main focus has been paid to the upper Punjab, especially the two adjacent districts of Mandi Bahauddin and Gujrat, which remained the epicenters of the irregular migration to Europe since many decades. The presence of migrant handlers, (commonly known as agents) their fraudulent practices, and their illicit connections with the transnational network made it convenient to lay a web to trap the young population aspiring to find employments in unknown destinations.