Detained Chinese nationals, accused of involvement in a trafficking gang to lure Pakistani women into fake marriages, try to shield their faces while they are escorted by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency officers to court in Lahore. AP

A government list shows 629 Pakistani girls from across the country have been sold as brides to China, most between 2018 and early 2019.

The list — obtained by media — was compiled by Pakistani investigators determined to break up trafficking networks.

Pakistani Christian Mahek Liaqat, who married a Chinese national, cries as she narrates her ordeal. AP

But in recent months, their aggressive drive has ground to a halt, and officials with knowledge of the investigations say that is because of pressure from the Pakistani government fearful of hurting ties with China.

But the biggest case against traffickers has fallen apart.

Sumaira a Pakistani woman, shows a picture of her Chinese husband in Gujranwala, Pakistan. File photo/AP

In October, a court in Faisalabad acquitted 31 Chinese nationals charged in connection with trafficking. Several of the women who had initially been interviewed by police refused to testify because they were either threatened or bribed into silence.