Five Pakistanis dead, 35 missing in Greek boat capsizing

The death toll from the boat capsize incident in Greece has surged to 40 as rescue efforts by authorities to find survivors ended without any success on Wednesday.

Officially, Pakistan’s government has confirmed the death of five people belonging to the Sialkot, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, and Narowal districts. 

Among the five confirmed victims, two belonged to Pasrur, a tehsil of Sialkot, while one each hailed from Gujrat, Narowal, and Mandi Bahauddin. The fifth victim was identified as Muhammad Shabeer of Gakharkey village of Narowal.

Additionally, locals in Heelan village of Mandi Bahauddin also claimed that five youngsters from their village were also among the missing. The family of another victim named Awais of Uddu Fateh village of Pasrur told the media that he was also missing.
However, as the search by Greek authorities ended on Wednesday, 35 missing citizens are also presumed dead now, taking the tally to 40.

An earlier report suggests that 47 Pakistanis were among the rescued passengers. 

FIA investigation

Following the incident, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered six cases against suspects allegedly involved in illegal transportation of victims from Punjab to Libya with promises to send them off on boats to Greece, helping them enter Europe.

FIA officials have also ‘sealed’ the FIRs to reportedly conceal the identity of local facilitators.

Dawn quotes sources saying that three cases were registered with the Gujrat and Gujranwala circles of the FIA, adding that four suspects have been arrested in connection with the boat accident on Wednesday. 

Reports suggest that at least four different teams — two each in Gujrat and Gujranwala — have been constituted to trace and arrest the human traffickers and their local facilitators in the region.

PM chairs meeting

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday in a meeting directed strict action against human trafficking and sought a quick report on the incidents of human trafficking during the last year involving Pakistani citizens. 

“The recurrence of such incidents is due to the sluggish action against the people involved,” the PM said. 

In an effort to thwart illegal transportation, the premier instructed the immediate implementation of the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) to monitor international travellers. 

The authorities also informed the PM that 174 people involved in human trafficking had been produced before courts, with four of them convicted only.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister recalled that 262 Pakistani nationals had lost their lives in a similar incident in the same area last year.

However, in a report released by Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights, Pakistan it was stated,: “In the year 2023 alone over 6,000 Pakistanis undertook illegal journeys to reach European shores” -- though some other estimates put the number significantly higher. 

In 2023, more than 350 Pakistanis lost their lives when an overcrowded boat carrying hundreds of illegal migrants sank en route to Greece from Libya.