Pakistani authorities reported on June 18 that they had arrested 12 suspected human smugglers, days after the tragic shipwreck this week off the coast of Greece that left at least 79 dead and hundreds missing.
Every year, thousands of young Pakistanis embark on dangerous journeys to try to enter Europe irregularly in search of a better life.
Local media reported that up to 300 Pakistani citizens died after a boat sank near the Greek peninsula of Peloponnese on Wednesday June 14.
Meanwhile, The Kashmir Police, administered by Pakistan, said this Sunday, June 18, that they arrested 12 people allegedly involved in sending young people from that country to Libya, to start their journey to Europe.
Officer Khalid Chauhan assured that the Police detained the suspects in the middle of an operation against human traffickers. He added that they are being questioned by the authorities, due to their alleged involvement in luring and sending locals abroad after demanding large amounts of money from them.
Between 400 and 750 people are believed to have been on board the ship that sank, according to a joint statement from the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency.
On Saturday June 17, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that 12 citizens survived, but it had no information on the total number of citizens on board the vessel.
An immigration official, quoted by the AFP agency on condition of anonymity, said that the number could exceed 200 people.
Pakistan decrees a day of national mourning
Monday has been declared a day of national mourning as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an immediate reprimand against officers involved in people smuggling, promising they would be “severely punished”.
“The prime minister has given a firm directive to intensify efforts in the fight against those involved in the heinous crime of human trafficking,” his office said in a statement.
A combination of political turmoil and a collapsing economy is driving tens of thousands of Pakistanis to leave their nation, both regularly and irregularly.
Young men, mainly from eastern Punjab and the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, often use routes through Iran, Libya, Turkey and Greece to enter Europe.
This article was adapted from its original in English.
With AFP and AP
Source: France 24
