350 Pakistani were aboard migrant boat that sank off Greece: Rana Sanaullah

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Friday said that around 350 Pakistani migrants were aboard the boat that sank off Greece, saying the government has launched a crackdown against those responsible for human smuggling.

"There is also a flaw in the law on this issue," the federal minister said, addressing the National Assembly.

He further shared that a high-level committee — headed by a grade 22 officer — had been set up to address the issue.

"The committee is working on three aspects," he revealed, adding that those involved in the accidents have been spared from the courts so far.

However, Sanaullah said proposed legislation in this regard is in progress.

Seconding this news, sources told Geo News that the federal government has decided to amend the Trafficking in Person Act, 2018, after the tragic shipwreck off the Greece coast, which led to the deaths of over 80 Pakistanis with hundreds missing.

The sources revealed that bank accounts and the assets of persons involved in human trafficking and smuggling will be frozen.

They also added: "The proposed amendment will make human smuggling and human trafficking a non-bailable offence."

"These people try to go to Europe through Egypt, Libya and UAE. Thousands of young people are in contact with these three countries regarding the issuance of visas," Sanaullah told the lower house.

Reiterating that action would be taken against those involved in human trafficking, he said comprehensive recommendations would be brought before the nation, and strict measures would be taken to prevent illegal migration.

Shedding light on the accountability of those involved in human smuggling and trafficking in the past, Sanaullah said: "In the five years of data available, hardly anyone has been convicted. Then, the affected families reconcile."

He added that people travel legally from Pakistan to Egypt, Libya and UAE.

"After that, people travel illegally," he said.

'82 Pakistani bodies brought back so far'

The interior minister said that 12 Pakistanis were rescued in the accident, where the boat with a capacity of 400 people had carried 700 people.

"The number of Pakistanis on the boat found so far is 350," he said, adding that, perhaps, not as many lives were lost in any terrorist incident.

He further said that 82 bodies had been recovered, and the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) teams are trying to identify them through DNA.

The minister said special desks have been established to contact the affected families. "So far 281 families have contacted these desks."

He shared that the bodies of the deceased can be brought back after the identification process is complete.