ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday announced Pakistan would observe a “Day of Mourning” on Monday, June 19, as several Pakistanis remain missing after last week’s shipwreck in Greece that left nearly 80 migrants dead and scores missing.
Authorities continued to search for victims and survivors of a trawler that sank off the coast of Greece on Wednesday with as many as 750 migrants on board, according to Greek authorities. Only 104 survivors have been so far found from the ship that contained men, women, and children from Syria, Egypt, the Palestinian territories, and Pakistan.
Pakistan authorities arrested 10 alleged human traffickers days after the tragic incident. Sharif also ordered an immediate crackdown on agents engaged in people smuggling, saying they would be “severely punished.”
“The Prime Minister, while expressing his grief on the tragic incident of a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Greece resulting in deaths of Pakistan’s citizens, is pleased to direct that Monday, the 19th of Lune, 2023 shall be observed as Day of Mourning,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
“The national flag shall fly on half-mast.”
Prime Minister Sharif has also tasked authorities to form a four-member inquiry committee to probe the incident and provide recommendations to ensure similar incidents do not happen in the future.
The committee has been asked to present its report within a week.
Every year, thousands of young Pakistanis embark on perilous journeys attempting to enter Europe illegally in search of a better life.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs said 12 nationals had survived, but they had no information on how many were aboard the boat.
An immigration official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the figure could surpass 200.
A combination of political turmoil and an economy on the brink of collapse drives tens of thousands of Pakistanis to leave the country — legally and illegally.
Young men, primarily from eastern Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, often use a route through Iran, Libya, Turkiye and Greece to unlawfully enter Europe.
