Shehbaz announces day of mourning today over death of Pakistanis in Greece shipwreck tragedy n Forms four-member team to probe human trafficking, causing deaths of Pak nationals n Out of 104 rescued passengers 43 Egyptians, 47 Syrians, 12 Pakistanis and two Palestinians.
ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced the observance of a day of mourning today over the death of Pakistani nationals after a ship carrying migrants sank off the coast of Greece on June 14. “Tomorrow, the national flag will fly on half-mast and special prayers would be offered for the deceased,” PM Office Media Wing said in a press statement issued here yesterday.
The PM also directed for holding of an inquiry into the human trafficking that led to the tragic incident of migrants shipwreck and ordered an immediate crackdown against agents involved in the heinous crime of human trafficking and called for bringing them to justice.
Moreover, the prime minister constituted a four-member high-level committee to investigate the tragic incident.
According to a notification issued by the PM Office, the committee will comprise Director General National Police Bureau Ehsan Sadiq as Chairman as well as Additional Secretary (Africa) Ministry of Foreign Affairs Javed Ahmed Umrani, Deputy Inspector General Police Poonch Region of AJK, Sardar Zaheer Ahemed, and Joint Secretary Federal Investigation Agency Faisal Nisar Chaudhry.
The committee shall submit its report within one week.
The committee will ascertain facts of the Greece boat tragedy, to identity loopholes and lapses in the legal and enforcement mechanism in Pakistan that exposed precious human lives to the vagaries of human trafficking in this particular case and similar incidents in the past.
It will also analyze similar past incidents and action taken. The forum will also take stock of the existing legal framework, enforcement measures in the country and the international coordination to prevent, control and punish human smuggling and to prepare short and long-term recommendations, including legislation, enforcement measures, awareness campaign and improvement of national and international coordination to apprehend agents, facilitators, masterminds and rackets and for the eradication of the menace of human trafficking.
The prime minister said the entire nation including him shared their sympathies with the bereaved families. He also directed the officials of the Pakistan embassy in Greece to look after 12 Pakistanis rescued from the scene of the disaster.
He also directed for taking further stringent action against the elements involved in human trafficking, besides asking the law enforcement agencies for the identification of such traffickers who had been duping people to undertake such perilous steps.
Upon the directive of the prime minister, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had deputed DIG Alam Shinwari as a focal person to facilitate information regarding those who lost lives in the incident and others who were injured. Similarly, the AJK chief secretary had also tasked a focal person to contact the Pakistan embassy and Greek authorities in Greece regarding the latest information over the casualties and injuries.
According to fresh reports, at least 78 people died after the overcrowded vessel went down on Wednesday. A total of 104 passengers were rescued and sent to Kalamata, Greece. The people rescued so far included 43 Egyptian nationals, 47 Syrian nationals, 12 Pakistani nationals, and two Palestinians, the Hellenic Coast Guard were quoted by international media outlets. Eight of those rescued were minors.
Meanwhile, the AJK police arrested 10 “sub-agents” allegedly involved in the smuggling of people to Europe via the Middle East and Africa, including those who died in the recent Greece boat tragedy. According to Kotli SSP Muhammad Riaz Mughal 21 people from AJK had been aboard the ship and were missing.
He said 19 of these people belonged to Khuiratta and the remaining hailed from neighbouring Charhoi. SSP Mughal revealed that as many as 10 “sub-agents” were arrested in AJK during the last 24 hours.
Mughal said the suspects were booked under sections 418 (cheating with the knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue to a person whose interest offender is bound to protect), 419 (punishment for cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and 322 (punishment for murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
“They were sub-agents or agents of main human traffickers Chaudhry Zulqarnain, Talat Kiani, and Khalid Mirza, who belong to Kotli and Mirpur and are based in Libya.