There’s been some troubling news coming out of Pakistan’s National Assembly about what’s happening to Pakistanis in Cambodia. Lawmakers are saying that people who went there looking for opportunities are ending up trapped in scam setups, facing torture, extortion, and even being targeted for organ trafficking. It’s a heavy claim, but it’s getting a lot of attention because of how serious it is.
From what’s been shared in committee meetings, thousands of Pakistanis have traveled to Cambodia recently, many on freshly issued passports with “tourism” written as their purpose. Once there, some are reportedly stripped of their documents, locked up, beaten, and forced into labor. The most disturbing part is that a few accounts suggest organs are being sold after victims are subjected to brutal treatment. Some have even described electric shocks being used to keep people in line.
This isn’t happening in isolation. Cambodia’s already been under fire for these so-called “scam compounds,” where foreigners are tricked with fake job offers and then forced into online fraud or other shady work. Human rights groups like Amnesty International have been warning about how widespread and violent this has become. Pakistanis now seem to be caught in that same net.
The situation also raises some awkward questions back home. If nearly 18,000 people left for Cambodia in a year, why wasn’t there tighter oversight? Lawmakers pointed out that Pakistan’s Bureau of Immigration doesn’t even have a permanent director general right now, which makes the lack of checks look even worse. At the same time, you can see why people are willing to take such risks. Educated professionals and young people who don’t see a future in Pakistan are more vulnerable to agents promising a way out.
That said, not everything is confirmed. While there are multiple reports and testimonies, independent evidence of organ removal is still limited. It could be happening, but until investigations wrap up, it’s hard to say how widespread it is. What’s clear is that people are being lured into Cambodia under false pretenses and ending up in abusive conditions.
If these claims about organ trafficking prove true, it’s not just a personal tragedy for the victims and their families. It would be a major diplomatic and human rights crisis. Pakistan would have to push Cambodia to crack down harder, while also fixing its own systems to stop vulnerable citizens from walking into these traps. At the very least, there’s a pressing need for public awareness so people know how to spot fake offers and avoid ending up in dangerous situations abroad.
It’s a grim story, and while some details still need more proof, the pattern of exploitation is real. Pakistanis in Cambodia are getting caught up in a dangerous cycle, and unless both governments take it seriously, the number of victims could grow.
