Europe today faces a three-fold crisis: a migration crisis straining its borders and asylum systems, a humanitarian crisis born from escalating persecution and violence in Pakistan, and a criminal crisis fueled by powerful transnational smuggling networks. These are not separate phenomena but different faces of the same reality: a Pakistan operating within oppressive structures, echoing the dark power dynamics described by Tehmina Durrani in My Feudal Lord — a system in which the silence of the wronged feeds the strength of the powerful, and fear is enforced more effectively than the law itself. Behind the numbers recorded by Frontex are not abstract flows but human beings fleeing a daily existence where violence, impunity and authoritarianism have become the norm. The rise in Pakistani migrants at Europe’s borders is not coincidental; it is the inevitable outcome of a system that produces despair at home and criminal profit abroad. In this environment, Europe is not merely a bystander but the final recipient of a crisis that begins elsewhere and ultimately destabilizes the continent, writes Dimitra Staikou.
Under Trump’s leadership, the US approach to irregular migration in Europe takes on a more blunt, transactional character, placing additional pressure on an already strained European system. Washington sees Europe’s growing instability not as a distant humanitarian problem but as a strategic risk that inevitably affects American interests — particularly at a time when competition with Russia and China demands a united and resilient West. The Trump administration frames the rise of Pakistani arrivals as proof of Europe’s failures in border control and publicly urges Brussels to adopt far tougher deterrence policies. At the same time, it fears that a Europe consumed by internal tensions — from the surge of the far right to the collapse of its asylum systems — cannot serve as a reliable NATO partner or an effective counterweight to revisionist powers. For Trump, the migration crisis on the continent is not simply Europe’s burden; it is a factor undermining the Western strategic architecture itself, reinforcing the American belief that Europe must “toughen up or fall behind.”
Against this geopolitical backdrop, the data emerging from Europe’s border agencies becomes even more significant. According to Frontex estimates, Pakistanis consistently represent 5–6% of all individuals attempting to enter the EU irregularly. While this percentage may seem small, it becomes strategically meaningful when combined with high visa rejection rates, escalating persecution in Pakistan, and the systematic activity of smuggling networks that have turned Europe into their safest and most profitable endpoint. Based on total crossings along the main migration routes, an estimated 1,300–1,700 Pakistanis arrived in Europe in September 2025, 1,600–2,100 in October, and 900–1,300 in November. In total, between 3,800 and 5,100 Pakistanis entered the EU irregularly during the autumn months — reinforcing Pakistan’s position as one of the most persistent sources of migratory pressure.
The scale and structure of this pressure becomes clearer when examining the smuggling networks exploiting Pakistan’s vulnerable populations. Investigations by The Telegraph into two of Pakistan’s most notorious traffickers — Usman Ali and Master Uzair — reveal the extent and impunity of a criminal system stretching from Pakistan to North Africa and into Europe. Usman Ali, despite being internationally wanted, was found living freely in Italy, allegedly running businesses and housing migrants. He is accused of orchestrating the deadly January 2025 shipwreck between Mauritania and Spain, where 80 people were tortured and most murdered for ransom, with only 22 surviving after 12 days of terror at sea. That such an individual can operate inside the EU underscores not only the power of these networks but also the severe gaps in Europe’s enforcement mechanisms.
Likewise, the case of Master Uzair — once the poorest man in his village — illustrates how local legitimacy can be weaponised to build sophisticated trafficking empires. Uzair is linked to the 2023 Adriana shipwreck, which killed more than 600 people, half of them Pakistanis. His disappearance despite intense international scrutiny shows how deeply rooted and highly adaptive these networks are, continuing to extract millions from human desperation.
Yet no matter how formidable these networks are, they are not the root of the crisis. At its core, irregular migration from Pakistan is driven by systemic human rights violations — persecution, political instability, and the collapse of the rule of law. Pakistan’s Christian communities are experiencing one of the darkest periods in recent history: attacks have risen by over 60%, more than 35 new blasphemy cases were filed in 2025, over 250 individuals remain imprisoned without due legal process, 26 churches and Christian neighbourhoods have been attacked, and there are documented incidents of torture, such as the arrest and abuse of a 49-year-old blind Christian detainee. Impunity exceeds 90%. Under such conditions, escape — even through criminal networks — becomes a matter of survival.
For the Hazara Shia community, the situation is even more harrowing. The year 2025 is marked by bombings, targeted killings and disappearances in Balochistan, where extremist organisations such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and ISKP openly describe Shiites as “apostates.” Reports by UNHCR and Human Rights Watch document numerous disappearances, while families live in a climate of constant fear. Thousands of Hazaras flee the country, relying on the same smuggling networks that channel migrants into Europe.
Europe cannot continue to denounce irregular migration while ignoring the conditions that produce it. Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai reminds us that “we must all treat each other as human beings and respect one another,” yet the international community continues to tolerate a Pakistan where minorities are persecuted, traffickers enrich themselves, and impunity prevails. As long as Europe chooses inaction, it becomes part of the very problem it claims to fight. The cost is not merely political — it is profoundly human, and Europe is already paying it. The choice is now unavoidable: act decisively, or watch a crisis it has allowed to deepen become unmanageable.
About the author
Dimitra Staikou is a Greek lawyer, journalist, and professional writer with extensive expertise on South Asia, China, and the Middle East. Her analyses on geopolitics, international trade, and human rights have been published in leading outlets including Modern Diplomacy, HuffPost Greece, Skai.gr, Eurasia Review, and the Daily Express (UK). Fluent in English, Greek, and Spanish, Dimitra combines legal insight with on-the-ground reporting and creative storytelling, offering a nuanced perspective on global affairs.
