The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) immigration wing apprehended an alleged human smuggler in Karachi.
The suspect, accused of smuggling individuals to Libya, including those who tragically perished in a shipwreck earlier this year, was arrested while attempting to flee to Azerbaijan on an international flight.
The FIA, after months of search and investigation, offloaded the suspect from his scheduled flight and took him into custody.
The FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Gujrat has registered a case against the arrested suspect. Subsequently, he has been handed over to the relevant authorities in Gujrat for further legal proceedings. It remains unclear whether the arrest pertains to the shipwreck incident in February or the one in April, as authorities have yet to provide specific details.
This arrest follows closely after another tragic shipwreck off the coast of Greece, where numerous Pakistani nationals are feared to have lost their lives.
A boat carrying around 750 people, according to a European rescue support charity, sank in open seas. While 104 survivors have been found, including 12 Pakistanis, the Foreign Office (FO) has confirmed the distressing incident.
The FO has issued a statement instructing the submission of a short tandem repeat (STR) DNA report from a recognized laboratory, along with the missing person’s identity card or passport number, to the Embassy’s email address to aid in identifying the victims.
Expressing concern over these distressing incidents, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has urged the government to promptly investigate the recent capsizing of a boat, which claimed the lives of at least 78 people, including potentially some Pakistanis.
Speaker Ashraf described the act as reprehensible and called for immediate action against those responsible to prevent such crimes in the future.
During a session in the National Assembly, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali raised the issue and demanded a comprehensive report identifying the missing individuals and exposing the human smugglers involved.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased, emphasizing their solidarity during this difficult time.
