ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations has urged the world to scale up rescue mechanisms for distressed people at sea, the Pakistani state media reported on Friday, a month after a fishing trawler capsized off the coast of Greece. 

A total of 104 men were rescued and 82 bodies were found, but survivor accounts suggested as many as 750 people, including more than 300 Pakistanis, were on board the vessel, with families calling on authorities to raise the wreck from the seabed and recover the bodies. 

Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Aamir Khan, addressed a meeting of the UN Security Council on refugees and asylum-seekers, where he said Mediterranean Sea crossings had become “increasingly treacherous” and stressed the need to develop mechanisms for people in distress at sea.

“As responsible members of the international community, it is incumbent on us all to ensure the safety and security of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, uphold international law including maritime law, and enforce the prompt rescue of individuals in distress at sea, regardless of their nationality or circumstances,” Ambassador Khan was quoted as saying by the state-run APP news agency. 

“As civilized nations, it is our responsibility to ensure that no life is lost at anytime, anywhere and under all circumstances. We must undertake all efforts including by developing a transparent, safe and predictable disembarkation mechanisms for people in distress at sea, while complying with international obligations and without obstructing humanitarian efforts.” 

The 15-member council meeting was convened by Russia under the format of Arria formula, which affords the council an opportunity to hear persons in a confidential, informal setting. 

Referring to the deepening humanitarian crisis, the Pakistani envoy said the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) provided a good framework by outlining key objectives to ease pressure on hosting countries, enhance refugee self-reliance, expand third-country solutions, and support safe and dignified returns. 

“This is unfair and unequal and cannot be rectified by a business-as-usual approach,” Ambassador Khan said. “We will have to do more … if we want to prevent already desperate situations from becoming catastrophic.” 

The rusty trawler was carrying Pakistanis who were fleeing adverse economic conditions at home in search of a better life in Europe. Young men, primarily from eastern Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, often use a route through Iran, Libya, Turkiye, and Greece to enter Europe. 

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah last month said that around 350 Pakistani citizens were aboard the vessel.