PM Orders Strong Action Against Human Traffickers, Requests Report on Incidents Involving Pakistani Nationals
GUJRAT: Following a tragic boat capsize off the coast of Greece, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed authorities to take stern action against human traffickers and has called for a detailed report on cases involving Pakistani nationals. The death toll from the tragedy, in which 35 missing Pakistanis were presumed dead, rose to 40 after Greek authorities’ rescue efforts were unsuccessful on Wednesday.
Earlier, Pakistani officials confirmed the deaths of five individuals from Sialkot, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, and Narowal districts. The additional 35 missing persons were presumed dead by Wednesday, bringing the total to 40.
Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered six new cases against suspects allegedly involved in trafficking victims from Punjab to Libya, from where they were sent on boats to Greece. The FIA has reportedly sealed the FIRs to protect the identities of local facilitators.
According to sources, three cases were filed in the Gujrat and Gujranwala FIA circles, and two additional suspects were arrested in connection with the boat accident on Wednesday, bringing the total number of detentions to four.
An FIA official revealed that at least four teams—two each in Gujrat and Gujranwala—have been assigned to trace and arrest the traffickers and their local collaborators.
The five confirmed victims include two from Pasrur (Sialkot), one from Gujrat, one from Narowal, and one from Mandi Bahauddin. Additionally, five youths from Heelan village in Mandi Bahauddin are among the missing, and the family of another victim, Awais from Pasrur, reported him as missing.
PM’s Meeting on Human Trafficking
During a meeting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed strict measures against human trafficking and demanded a report on such incidents involving Pakistani nationals over the past year. This follows the tragic Greece boat accident that claimed the lives of approximately 40 Pakistanis.
Recalling a similar tragedy last year, where 262 Pakistani nationals lost their lives in the same area, the prime minister expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of action against the perpetrators. He stated that the recurrence of such incidents was due to delayed responses from authorities.
PM Shehbaz also called for the swift implementation of the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) to monitor international travelers. The briefing revealed that 174 individuals involved in human trafficking had been presented before courts, with four convicted.
The prime minister emphasized the need for a public awareness campaign on human trafficking and requested that the FIA and the foreign ministry provide a report on incidents involving Pakistani nationals over the past year. He also stressed the importance of increasing collaboration with international organizations to prevent such tragic events from happening again.
Syed Irfan Raza contributed to this report from Islamabad.
