ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government and the people have been observing a “Day of Mourning” today over the loss of hundreds of lives in a migrant boat that capsized off the coast of Greece, with authorities promising stern action against human smugglers and officials found “negligent toward their duty.”
As many as 750 men, women and children from Syria, Egypt, the Palestinian territories and Pakistan were on board the vessel that sank off Greece on June 14. In all, 104 survivors were rescued and 78 bodies retrieved, all on Wednesday.
There has been no official information on how many Pakistanis were aboard the trawler, how many survived or how many perished, but local and international media suggested the number could be as high as 300.
On Sunday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the tragic incident and announced a “Day of Mourning” on Monday, with the national flag flying at half-mast.
“I have ordered a high-level inquiry. FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) & other law enforcement agencies have been tasked to tighten the noose around the individuals involved in the heinous act of human smuggling,” Sharif said in a Twitter post on Sunday.
“I assure the nation that those found negligent toward their duty will be held to account. Responsibility will be fixed after the inquiry and heads will roll.”
Every year, thousands of young Pakistanis embark on perilous journeys to flee economic hardships in the South Asian country and in search of a better life abroad.
Wednesday’s shipwreck and the subsequent loss of lives of a large number of Pakistani citizens has resulted in a crackdown on human traffickers in Pakistan.
Police in Azad Kashmir said Sunday they arrested 12 people involved in sending local youths to Libya for the onward journey to Europe.
A survivor of a shipwreck stands outside a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town, on June 14, 2023, after a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank in international waters in the Ionian Sea. (AFP)
Senior officer Khalid Chauhan said police picked up the suspects amid a crackdown on human traffickers. Police were interrogating them for their alleged roles in luring, trapping and sending locals abroad after extracting huge amounts of money from them.
Around 28 people from the Khuiratta area in the district of Kotli had gone to Libya for onward travel to Europe, police said. Local official Chaudhry Haq Nawaz said there was still no confirmation on how many young men from the area were onboard the ill-fated boat, or how many are among the dead or missing.
Survivors of a shipwreck sleep at a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, on June 14, 2023. (AP)
Raja Sikandar of Bindian village in Kotli said his four nephews aged 18 to 36 were missing.
“We were informed by the media (of the tragedy). When children are not found or die, you can understand what a parent goes through,” he said.
Raja Muhammad Majeed asked the Pakistani government to bring back his nephew, Raja Awais.
“If he is dead, bring back (the) body,” he said. “When we bury him here, his mother, sisters and others can go to his grave and offer prayers. We will be patient.”
