Pakistan arrests several people in connection with shipwreck off Greece

On June 18 (local time), Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate crackdown and severe punishment for those involved in illegal human trafficking.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has issued “a strong directive to intensify efforts against the crime of human trafficking,” a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.

During the crackdown, Pakistani security officials arrested suspected human traffickers in various areas of Kashmir and intercepted another at Karachi airport as he tried to flee the country.

Many people were arrested after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Greece. Photo: Reuters

Security also announced that police are questioning the subjects on charges of luring, defrauding and sending migrants abroad.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the Pakistani Embassy in Greece is still in contact with Greek authorities to identify the Pakistani citizen killed among the 78 bodies found.

According to Aljazeera news agency, every year thousands of young Pakistanis embark on dangerous journeys to reach Europe without legal documents in the hope of finding a better life.

Earlier, on June 14, a migrant boat sank off the coast of Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula. The incident, considered the worst disaster of its kind in 2023, left at least 78 people dead and hundreds missing.

After receiving the information, the authorities deployed a large-scale search and rescue force in the sea area where the accident occurred. Six coast guard ships, a naval destroyer, a military transport aircraft, an air force helicopter, several private vessels and a drone of the European Union Border Protection Agency (Frontex) were mobilized to participate in the operation.

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