Pakistan Vows to Arrest Human Traffickers After Mediterranean Smuggler Disaster.
Getty ImagesISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan on Monday widened its manhunt for human traffickers after a tragedy off the Greek coast last week that left more than 500 migrants feared drowned, including many Pakistanis, officials said.
With no definitive casualty numbers announced, families feared for the fate of their loved ones and the nation observed a day of mourning Monday, declared by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government.
The Pakistani flag was flying at half-staff, and lawmakers in the National Assembly, the lower house of the parliament, expressed their condolences.
The fishing trawler packed with migrants overturned and went down early Wednesday off southwestern Greece in one of the deadliest-ever incidents in the central Mediterranean Sea. The vessel was carrying as many as 750 people, including scores of Pakistanis, when it sank in international waters. A search-and-rescue operation has since been underway.
Pakistan´s Embassy in Athens has so far identified 12 Pakistani nationals rescued by the coast guard. Breitbart.
.jpeg)