Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed authorities to take solid action against human trafficking after the deaths of five Pakistani citizens in Greek shipwrecks last week.
At least five migrants drowned after their wooden boat, carrying many Pakistanis, capsized off Greece’s southern island of Gavdos, the coastguard said on Saturday, with witnesses saying many were still missing as search operations continued.
In separate incidents, a Malta-flagged cargo vessel rescued 47 migrants from a boat sailing about 40 nautical miles off Gavdos, while a tanker rescued another 88 migrants some 28 nautical miles off the tiny island in Greece’s south.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered a case against four alleged human traffickers and reportedly detained two suspects from Sialkot and Gujrat, as the number of Pakistani nationals killed rose to five a day ago.
Chairing a meeting in Islamabad today to discuss the death of Pakistani nationals and measures to curb human trafficking, the premier called for strict action against those involved in smuggling people to other countries.
PM Shehbaz said that 262 Pakistani nationals lost their lives in another incident in the same area last year and expressed displeasure over inaction against those responsible.
