Although Pakistan is part of international anti-human trafficking protocols and has tasked its Federal Investigation Agency with cracking down on smugglers, enforcement is stymied by a smuggler-government nexus.

The prominent journalist and supporter of ex-PM Imran Khan was detained by the Pakistani police, but the authorities then failed to present him in court.

The suicide bombing at a mosque in northwestern Pakistan that killed dozens of officers is the country's worst terrorist attack in years. It signals a growing wave of Taliban-fuelled militancy targeting the state.

The film has opened in some parts of Pakistan after conservative sections opposed its screening in the Muslim-majority country.

Recent cases of custodial deaths have angered the Pakistani people, who are demanding immediate justice for the victims.