Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah announced on Friday that the government is determined to take strong measures against individuals involved in the illegal human trafficking trade. The minister made these remarks during a session of the National Assembly today, addressing the recent tragic incident in Greece. According to Sanaullah, approximately 350 Pakistani migrants were on board the ill-fated boat, with only 12 managing to survive.
The recovery efforts have so far retrieved 82 bodies, and the process of identifying the victims is underway. Forensic and NADRA data are being utilized to aid in this identification process. Sanaullah informed the assembly that a thorough crackdown is currently in progress to apprehend those responsible for the devastating boat accident near the Greek coast.
In addition, the interior minister shared that special desks have been established to assist affected families. To date, 281 families have reached out to these desks, seeking information and support. Sanaullah revealed that 193 DNA samples have been collected thus far to facilitate the identification process.
Earlier this week, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) initiated the collection of DNA samples from families who have lost their loved ones in the Greece boat tragedy. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also presided over a high-level meeting in Islamabad, focusing on human smuggling and the recent boat capsizing incident in the Mediterranean near Greece. During the meeting, the prime minister received a detailed briefing on the Greece shipwreck and instructed the authorities to expedite the process of bringing the responsible individuals to justice.
On June 20, Mumtaz Arain, the “prime accused” behind the human trafficking operation that led to the incident, was apprehended following instructions from Punjab Inspector General (IG) Dr. Usman Anwar. The death toll from the disaster is expected to rise significantly, as witness accounts suggest that the fishing boat, which sank approximately 50 miles (80km) off the southern Greek town of Pylos, carried between 400 to 750 people.
Greek authorities have reported 104 survivors and 78 bodies recovered shortly after the incident. Unfortunately, the chances of finding any more survivors are diminishing.
