- The Minister of the Interior emphasizes that smugglers must be eradicated.
- The investigative committee was instructed to submit its findings within five days.
- Emphasis was placed on accelerating measures to eradicate human trafficking.
ISLAMABAD: Expressing grief over the death of Pakistani nationals who were trying to illegally migrate to Europe by boat, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to launch investigations nationwide operations against human trafficking networks.
He also stressed that mafias have destroyed countless families and therefore must be eradicated.
On the directive of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the security czar formed a committee headed by the additional secretary of the interior ministry to conduct a probe into the incident. The body was tasked with investigating and submitting its findings within five days.
At least five migrants drowned after their wooden boat capsized off the island of Gavdos in southern Greece, the coast guard said on Saturday. Witnesses said many migrants were still missing as search operations continued.
So far, 39 men – mostly from Pakistan – have been rescued by cargo ships sailing through the region. They were transferred to the island of Crete, the coast guard said, adding that the number of people missing had not yet been confirmed.
Coast guard boats, merchant ships, an Italian frigate and naval aircraft have searched the area since Greek authorities were alerted to the incident on Friday evening.
This tragic event has reignited calls for tougher measures to combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable citizens from criminal networks.
Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed sadness and condolences over the loss of Pakistani lives in the tragic boat capsize.
Terming human trafficking as a heinous crime that destroys many lives every year, he stressed the need for strict sanctions and concrete measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
The Prime Minister added that deceptive tactics were used by smuggling mafias to obtain money by making false promises.
PM Shehbaz also asked Naqvi to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and submit a report as soon as possible.
He stressed the importance of identifying and punishing those responsible to ensure that such acts do not happen again. “Concrete measures must be taken to prevent such tragedies from happening again in the future,” he added.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed sadness over the death of Pakistani migrants in the boat capsizing incident, terming human trafficking a dastardly act in which people lose their loved ones.
He highlighted the acceleration of measures aimed at eradicating human trafficking.
The president also offered his condolences to the heirs and prayed for their patience.