ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) announced on Wednesday it has sacked 13 members for being involved in the 2024 Greek boat tragedy that resulted in the deaths of five citizens, saying that its crackdown against human traffickers in the country was continuing.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered strict action against human trafficking rings that lure Pakistani migrants with the fake promise of a better life in return for money, and help them undertake perilous illegal journeys via sea to Europe.
Five Pakistanis were killed when a migrant boat sank near the Greek island of Gavdos in December 2024. Another migrant boat sank capsized near the coast of Morocco on Jan. 15 carrying 86 migrants on board. Sixty-six Pakistanis were on the ship, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.
“An inspector, two sub-inspectors, two head constables and eight constables were dismissed from service for their involvement in the 2024 Greek boat accident,” an FIA spokesperson said in a statement.
The FIA said promotions of three constables had been halted, adding that all dismissed officials were stationed at the airport in Pakistan’s eastern city of Faisalabad.
It said 37 FIA officials had been removed from service earlier for their involvement in various boat accidents.
“Actions continue against officials involved in a boat accident on the prime minister’s instructions,” the agency said.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel capsized and sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek coastal town of Pylos. It was one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.
Pakistan fires 13 federal agency officials for involvement in 2024 Greek boat tragedy
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Pakistan fires 13 federal agency officials for involvement in 2024 Greek boat tragedy
- Five Pakistanis were killed when migrant boat sank near Greek island Gavdos in December
- Investigation agency says fired 37 members earlier for involvement in migrant boat tragedies
Bodies of Pakistani nationals who died attempting illegal migration repatriated from Iran
- Pakistan’s envoy in Tehran warns youth against human smugglers after deaths in harsh weather
- Pakistan reported sharp fall in illegal migration to Europe this year amid nationwide crackdown
ISLAMABAD: The bodies of two Pakistani nationals, who died near the Iran-Türkiye border after attempting to travel illegally to Europe, have been repatriated to the country, said a senior diplomat on Tuesday, reiterating warnings against human smugglers amid an intensified crackdown by authorities in Islamabad on illegal migration.
Pakistan says it has stepped up action against illegal immigration and human trafficking in recent years, reporting a 47% drop in illegal migration to Europe this year and the arrest of more than 1,700 suspected human smugglers, according to official figures.
However, people continue to attempt dangerous irregular journeys in search of work and better economic opportunities abroad.
“The mortal remains of Pakistani nationals Mr. Armanullah s/o Gul Rahman and Mr. Ihtasham s/o Mukhtar Gul, both residents of Nowshera, have been repatriated to Pakistan through Taftan border earlier today,” Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, said in a post on social media platform X. “Both had fallen victim to the greed of human smugglers and lost their lives in extremely harsh weather conditions near Iran’s border with Turkiye.”
“I once again request the youth back home not to be trapped by human smugglers and instead follow the legal path to travel abroad,” he added, thanking the government of the Balochistan province in Pakistan for arranging the transportation of the bodies and offering condolences to the victims’ families.
The issue illegal immigration has drawn heightened scrutiny since 2023, when hundreds of people, including Pakistani nationals, died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in an overcrowded vessel that sank off the Greek coast, prompting Islamabad to launch nationwide investigations into human smuggling and trafficking networks.
Authorities have since arrested Pakistani and foreign nationals at airports with forged travel documents, highlighting the scale of document fraud linked to illegal departures.
In September, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) released a list of more than 100 of Pakistan’s “most wanted” human smugglers and identified major trafficking hubs across Punjab province and the capital, Islamabad.
Earlier this month, Pakistan announced plans to roll out an artificial intelligence-based immigration screening system at Islamabad airport from January, aimed at detecting forged documents and preventing illegal travel abroad, as part of broader efforts to curb human smuggling and unauthorized migration.
