Islamabad [Pakistan], December 21 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered strict action against officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) implicated in facilitating human traffickers, following the tragic Greek boat disaster that left at least five Pakistani nationals dead, The Express Tribune reported.
During a meeting on Friday in Islamabad, PM Sharif instructed the relevant authorities to expedite investigations into the growing issue of human trafficking and emphasised the urgency of addressing such incidents.
"Such incidents tarnish Pakistan's global image and must be dealt with swiftly and effectively," he remarked. The Prime Minister's directives come after the latest tragedy, in which a boat capsized near Greece, resulting in Pakistani casualties.
The PM expressed concern over the delay in addressing last year's similar boat capsizing incident. "The delay in taking action against those responsible for last year's boat capsizing incident is concerning," he said, adding, "We cannot allow this to continue, as these tragedies only harm our country's reputation."
The meeting was updated on preventive measures taken to combat human trafficking, alongside new developments regarding the recent boat disaster near the Greek island of Gavdos.
The Pakistani mission in Greece confirmed that five Pakistanis had died in the incident, though they stated they had no concrete information about the exact number of missing persons, reported The Express Tribune.
An official from the Pakistan mission updated the media, saying, "So far, we have identified five dead Pakistanis and rescued 47 others. There is no concrete information about missing persons at this stage, and this is the final information available."
On Thursday, as part of a major crackdown on human traffickers involved in the boat tragedy, the FIA registered cases against three traffickers and arrested two of its own officers for negligence.
Inspector Zubair Ashraf and Sub Inspector Shahid Imran were arrested for failing to properly screen passengers at Faisalabad Airport. Both officers were on duty when 18 victims of the Greek boat tragedy passed through the airport's screening process, The Express Tribune reported.
The Prime Minister's office has made it clear that those found guilty of negligence or corruption will face serious consequences as Pakistan aims to combat the rising human trafficking issue.
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