Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday ordered the authorities concerned to launch an investigation to identify the human traffickers involved in the unfortunate incident of the boat capsizing near Greece which resulted in the death of at least 78 people.
The ill-fated boat with reportedly 400 to 750 people onboard sank in the Mediterranean Sea near the Greek coast. Some 104 people were found alive as per the details received till Friday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed that 12 Pakistanis were among the survivors of the capsized overloaded fishing boat which sank off the Peloponnese in southern Greece.
"Sympathies of the entire nation, including me, are with the families of the deceased," a press release issued by Prime Minister Office's media wing quoted PM Shehbaz as saying.
He expressed deep sorrow and grief over the death of Pakistanis in the incident.
It said that the premier while ordering the probe into the matter, directed the authorities to tighten the noose around the elements involved in luring people into dangerous businesses such as trafficking.
It further stated that the premier also ordered an immediate crackdown against the agents involved in the heinous crime and punish them in a befitting manner.
PM Shehbaz Sharif also directed the Pakistani Embassy in Greece to take care of the 12 Pakistanis who had been rescued in the incident, it added.
Meanwhile, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Alam Shinwari was appointed as the focal person for the information and facilitation of those killed and injured in the incident as per the prime minister's directive.
On Saturday, the FIA said that the prime suspect in the Greek boat tragedy, Sajid Mehmood, was arrested at Karachi airport while he was trying to flee to Azerbaijan.
The FIA said the suspect was allegedly involved in smuggling people to Europe via Greece and Libya. He was offloaded from a plane after his name appeared on the FIA’s stop list, the officials added.
The federal agency further stated that the same suspect was also allegedly involved in the boat incident that capsized in Libya in March.
On Thursday, the Greek police arrested nine Egyptians on suspicion of people smuggling — one of them was the captain of the boat carrying the migrants.
They were detained at the port of Kalamata, where the survivors are being cared for, said Greek news agency ANA.
The survivors, mainly from Syria, Egypt and Pakistan, were being housed in a Kalamata warehouse.
Greece, Italy and Spain are among the main landing points for tens of thousands of people who seek to reach Europe as they flee conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
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