Startling revelations shared by survivors show that human traffickers have started using small boats instead of large trawlers in open sea
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Dec 17th, 2024) The dozens of Pakistanis are still missing and their whereabouts are being traced based on information provided by the surviving Pakistanis, said the latest reports on Tuesday.
Four Pakistanis are confirmed dead while the lives of 47 have been rescued.
However, there are reports that the dozens are still missing and investigations are underway. Some reports suggested that 30 Pakistanis are still missing.
The startling revelations have surfaced regarding the boat that capsized in the open sea near Greece as the human traffickers have started using small boats instead of large trawlers [ships] to avoid coast guards and surveillance system in the open sea.
The reports said that the latest incident took place just because of the greed of the human traffickers who changed their tactics. The migrants, on the night of Dec 11, 12, boarded onto three different boats from Libya. The boats remained at sea for about two and a half days. Two boats were safe while one encountered an accident. Like previous incidents, the boat was overcrowded, which led to the tragedy.
The reports suggested that there were more than 84 people aboard the boat, the majority of whom were Pakistanis, with a few Egyptians and Sudanese. Of the two sailors, one Sudanese sailor survived and was arrested by the local police.
The investigations unveiled that the ages of the individuals aboard the boat ranged from 15 to 40 years. Most of them were between 25 and 30 years of age while three children aged 15 to 16 were also among them. Most of the individuals were from the Punjab regions of Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin and Gujrat.
It may be mentioned here that there are no direct flights from Pakistan to Libya; however, the individuals wishing to travel to Europe go through regular visa routes to Dubai and other countries, from where they fall prey to human traffickers. They then travel via various countries and land routes to reach Libya, and from there, they attempt to cross the sea to Europe.
According to the reports, there is a noticeable lack of interest from the FIA in Pakistan as no investigation was initiated at the FIA level so far.
The FIA officials, the reports said, were of the view that the inquiries should be made at the Ministry of Interior or Ministry of Foreign Affairs level, as nothing has been initiated at the FIA regarding this matter.
A senior official said that the migrants continued to use new methods to reach Europe in search of a better future and employment. Profiling of passengers at immigration checkpoints is urgently needed.
It may be mentioned here that Pakistanis who survived the deadly incident in June 2023 have yet to return home.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi directed to form a fact-finding committee under Additional Secretary Raja Riffat Mukhtar and sought a report on the incident.
