Pakistan grapples with loss of hundreds in wake of migrant boat sinking

Pakistan observed an official day of mourning on Monday to commemorate the deaths of scores of its nationals in the sinking of an overcrowded boat off the coast of Greece. The national flag was lowered to half-mast and special prayers were offered for the deceased.

On June 14, a fishing boat carrying hundreds of illegal immigrants sank off the coast of southern Greece. This incident is seen as one of the worst incidents that have happened to migrants in Europe. Greek and Pakistani authorities are still unable to give a clear estimate of how many people were on board when the boat sank. According to unofficial sources, around 400 Pakistanis were on board the ill-fated vessel.

The boat was carrying illegal immigrants from Libya to Italy when it capsized in the ocean off the coast of Greece. It is believed that 750 men, women, and children from Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, and the Palestinian territories were on board when the vessel sank. At least 79 people have been confirmed dead and 104 people have been rescued in theincident, while around 500 people, including women and children, are still missing, the United Nations reports. According to unconfirmed sources, at least 300 Pakistanis are among the dead and 12 among the rescued. It is believed that at least 100 children were also on board with their parents, with all reportedly dead.

The boat is believed to have departed the Tobruk coastal area in Libya

Libya’s internal conflicts and civil instability create good conditions for global international traffickers, making Libya one of the main departure points for people seeking a better life in Europe. The Greek coast guard said in a statement on Wednesday June 14 that the trawler sank in international waters 47 nautical miles southwest of Pylos, off the Peloponnese coast. The spot is close to one of the deepest areas of the Mediterranean. Greece also declared three days of mourning, calling it one of the biggest boat accidents in history.

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, while addressing a press conference in Brussels on Friday, said, “We don’t have all the information yet on what has happened, but it seems like this is the worst ever tragedy we’ve seen in the Mediterranean.”

“[Traffickers] are not sending them to Europe, they are sending them to death. This is whatthey’re doing, and it’s absolutely necessary to prevent it,” she continued.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif ordered an immediate inquiry into the boat capsizing and issued instructions to punish the human traffickers. Sharif also directed law enforcement agencies to bust the human traffickers who are forcing people to flee the country illegally.

A four-member high-level committee, headed by the Director-General of Pakistan’s National Police Bureau Ehsan Sadiq, has sought important records from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) as part of the investigation.The FIA has contacted the 12 surviving Pakistani nationals, who gave up the names of the traffickers involved in the incident. After receiving the information, the FIA apprehended a key human trafficker Talha Shahzeb for sending people abroad for millions of rupees. 24-year-old Shahzeb was arrested in Sheikhupura, Punjab. The FIA official says that action would also be taken against Shahzeb’s parents, who currently reside in Italy.The Federal Investigation Agency said in a statement on Monday that “14 people have been arrested, including a key ringleader involved in the human trafficking through the boat that sank off the coast of Greece last week.”“Following the ‘Greece boat incident,’ multiple cases have been registered against 20 human traffickers and more than five suspects have been arrested. The FIA has formed special teams to arrest the suspects at the earliest possibility,” the FIA spokesperson said.

The Interior Ministry also established a coordination cell, under the directive of Prime Minister Sharif. The coordination cell will assist in acquiring DNA samples of the victims (under the parameters set by the Pakistan Embassy in Greece) in order to help the victims’ families to identify them. The ministry’s official notification explained, “The coordination cell will be responsible for initial screening to verify information of relatives of the passengers on board the boat. It will disseminate information regarding convenient places for DNA sampling to identify dead bodies.”

Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah expressed his determination to pass a special law bringing people involved in human trafficking to justice. Meanwhile, FIA Director-General Mohsin Hassan Butt presided over a high-level meeting in Islamabad on the issue on Monday.

It is feared that dozens of people from Pakistan-administered Kashmir’s Kale sector were also on board the unfortunate boat. Kashmir Police cracked down on human traffickers, arresting 10 human traffickers so far.

Pakistani police official Usman Ali told The Media Line, “During the investigation, one agent revealed that his son is also a victim of a Greece boat accident and is still missing.” According to the relatives of the victims, the migrants chose to take perilous sea routes to access Europe in search of a better life.

Shabir Hussain, a resident of Safdar Abad in Punjab, told the Media Line that his 20-year-old cousin Romail Akram left home a month ago in hopes “to reach Italy for a better and secure future.” His family strongly believes that Akram was on board the sunk boat.

“We don’t know what happened to him. Akram’s elderly parents are anxiously awaiting any news about him. They are deeply saddened,” he said.

“Dozens of people from Akram’s village have settled in various European countries and have constructed luxury homes in Pakistan,” Hussain added. “Seeing this splendor, Akram became adamant that he would travel to Europe by all means.”

According to Andy Vermaut, a Brussels-based human rights activist and the president of the World Council for Public Diplomacy and Community Dialogue, the accident “painfully underlines the extremes people are willing to go for a glimmer of hope at a better existence.” “The international community, especially the European Union, is grappling with a severe humanitarian disaster, the strain of which is visible on their resources, political stability, andhumaneness,” Vermaut continued. “It’s critical, though, to remember that refugees aren’t burdens; they’re individuals caught in a dreadful situation beyond their grasp, forced to makedecisions too terrible to contemplate under immense pressure.”“We need to tackle the fundamental issues that compel people to leave their homes and risk itall,” he added. “This necessitates a commitment to establishing peace, driving development,and addressing deep-rooted inequalities at a global level.”

Israr Rajput, a Rawalpindi-based security and political analyst, told The Media Line that the“heinous business of human trafficking in Pakistan has been going on for decades. Humantrafficking will not be solved unless the offenders are punished severely for the rest of theirlives.”Rajput explained that economic insecurity, political instability, and corruption contribute tomany Pakistanis’ decisions to seek a better life in Europe. According to him, “Raising a familyhas become extremely difficult for the average Pakistani, and rising utility costs, overpricedpower, and a lack of other basic facilities are also motivating the average person to sell hisassets and relocate to a Western country by any means.”

“[Pakistanis] often perceive European countries as offering greater personal safety, political stability, and respect for human rights,” Rajput continued. “This perception, coupled with the hope for a more inclusive and democratic society, attracts Pakistani youth to these nations.” Qaiser Khan Afridi, UNHCR spokesperson in Pakistan, told The Media Line that the number of people forcibly displaced by “persecution, conflict, violence, and human rights violations” grewby 21 percent this year. “An estimated 108.4 million people at the end of 2022 were displaced across the world,” hesaid. “The figures reached 110 million people in the first half of 2023. One in 74 peopleworldwide remained forcibly displaced.”

Afridi also told The Media Line that the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) “are calling for urgent and decisive action to prevent further deaths at sea following the latest tragedy in the Mediterranean.”

“Both UNHCR and IOM have been on the ground in Kalamata in southern Greece in closecoordination with the authorities, providing support and assistance to the survivors, includingnonfood items, hygiene kits, interpretation services, and counseling for survivors who aretraumatized following the ordeal,” he said.

“The duty to rescue people in distress at sea without delay is a fundamental rule of international maritime law,” Afridi added. “Any action carried out about search and rescue should be conducted in a manner consistent with the obligation to prevent loss of life at sea.”