Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to launch a nationwide crackdown on people-trafficking networks, after a Pakistani citizen died trying to enter Europe illegally by boat, The News International reported on Sunday.
Naqvi stressed the urgent need to dismantle criminal mafias, which have destroyed families.
Acting on the orders of Prime Minister Sehbaz Sharif, a committee headed by Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs has been formed to investigate the incident. The committee has been given the responsibility to investigate and submit a report within five days.
Notably, the coastguard said on Saturday that at least five migrants had drowned after a wooden boat capsized off the southern Greek island of Gavdos, and witnesses said more were still missing as the search continued. So far 39 men – most of them from Pakistan – have been rescued by cargo ships sailing in the area. They have been evacuated to the island of Crete, the coast guard said, and the number of missing has not yet been confirmed, The News International reported.
After the tragedy, President Asif Ali Zardari condemned human trafficking in a statement as a “disgusting practice” that causes great suffering. He expressed his condolences to the victim’s family.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif has also expressed grief over the loss of life when the boat overturned.
Calling human trafficking as a heinous crime that kills many people every year, he emphasized that strict punishment and concrete measures should be taken to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. According to The News International, Sharif said deceptive tactics are used by smuggling mafias to make money by giving false assurances.
On June 14, 2023, a boat carrying an estimated 750 people, mainly from Pakistan, Syria and Egypt, capsized and sank in the open sea off Greece. Out of total passengers, 104 people managed to survive and 82 bodies were recovered.