ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed authorities to take decisive action against human trafficking following the deaths of five Pakistani citizens in Greek shipwrecks last week.
At least five migrants drowned after their wooden boat, carrying numerous Pakistanis, capsized off Greece’s southern island of Gavdos, according to the coastguard on Saturday. Witnesses reported that many remained missing as search operations continued. In separate incidents, a Malta-flagged cargo vessel rescued 47 migrants from a boat approximately 40 nautical miles off Gavdos, while a tanker rescued another 88 migrants some 28 nautical miles off the island.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered a case against four alleged human traffickers and reportedly detained two suspects from Sialkot and Gujrat as the death toll of Pakistani nationals rose to five. Chairing a meeting in Islamabad to discuss the deaths and measures to curb human trafficking, the prime minister called for strict action against those involved in smuggling people abroad.
PM Shehbaz noted that 262 Pakistani nationals lost their lives in a similar incident in the same area last year and expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of action against those responsible. “The recurrence of such incidents is due to sluggish actions against the people involved,” he said.
The premier ordered the immediate implementation of the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) to monitor international travelers. He also sought details on public awareness campaigns addressing human trafficking and tasked the FIA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to produce a comprehensive report on incidents involving Pakistani nationals over the past year.
PM Shehbaz emphasized the need to “enhance collaboration with international institutions to prevent the recurrence of such tragic incidents.”
During the briefing, the prime minister was informed that 174 individuals accused of human trafficking had been produced in court, with four convictions reported. Senior FIA officials highlighted a disturbing trend: traffickers increasingly use air routes to send clients to Libya, from where they undertake perilous Mediterranean crossings to Italy. Officials also noted that poverty and unemployment were not the sole factors driving human trafficking. In areas such as Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Wazirabad, and parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, sending family members abroad by any means has become a social trend or status symbol.
For thousands of migrants heading to Europe from the Middle East, the long route to a new life often passes through Greece and the Western Balkans. Between 2014 and the end of 2023, the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project recorded over 63,000 deaths and disappearances on migration routes. In 2023, deaths surged across the Mediterranean, Africa, and Asia, marking an unprecedented rise in fatalities in the latter two regions.
