Islamabad orders FIA action after 5 Pakistan nationals die in Greece boat capsize

Shehbaz Sharif (File photo)

ISLAMABAD: After Pakistani nationals lost their lives attempting to illegally enter Europe by boat, Pakistan interior minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to launch a nationwide crackdown on human smuggling networks, The News International reported on Sunday.
Naqvi stressed the urgent need to dismantle the criminal mafias, which have devastated families.
Acting on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif‘s orders, a committee led by the additional secretary of the ministry of interior has been established to investigate the tragedy. The committee has been tasked with completing its inquiry and submitting a report within five days.
Notably, at least five migrants drowned after their wooden boat capsized off Greece’s southern island of Gavdos, the coastguard said on Saturday, and witnesses said many were still missing as search operations continued. So far 39 men — most of them from Pakistan — have been rescued by cargo vessels sailing in the area. They have been transferred to the island of Crete, the coastguard said, adding that the number of those missing had not yet been confirmed, The News International reported.
Following the tragedy, President Asif Ali Zardari in a statement condemned human trafficking as a “heinous practice” that leads to immense suffering. He expressed his condolences to the victims’ families.
PM Sharif also expressed condolences over the loss of Pakistani lives in the tragic boat capsizing.
Calling human smuggling a heinous crime that destroys numerous lives every year, he stressed the need for strict punishments and concrete measures to prevent such incidents in the future. Sharif further said that the deceptive tactics were used by smuggling mafias to get money by making false promises, according to The News International.
On June 14, 2023, a boat carrying an estimated 750 people, primarily from Pakistan, Syria, and Egypt, capsized and sank in open seas off Greece. Of the total passengers, 104 managed to survive while the bodies of 82 victims were recovered.