One confirmed dead, 47 Pakistanis rescued following Saturday’s incidents of capsized boats in south of Crete Island of Greece: FO Spokesperson
ISLAMABAD, Dec 15 (SABAH): According to initial reports, 47 Pakistanis are among those rescued following Saturday’s incidents of capsized boats in the south of Crete Island of Greece. One Pakistani is confirmed to be among the dead.
According to a statement issued by Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, at this stage we are unable to confirm the number of deceased or missing Pakistani nationals.
The Embassy of Pakistan in Athens is in contact with the Hellenic Coast Guard and with the Coast Guard of Chania, which are directly dealing with the search and rescue operation. The Embassy officials have reached the Crete to meet with the rescued Pakistanis and provide them with any assistance required.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated its Crisis Management Unit to facilitate Pakistanis in Greece.
Pakistani nationals in Greece and their families are encouraged to contact the CMU at the following telephone/Email:
Families of the missing Pakistanis can contact the Embassy of Pakistan to share details at the following number:
+30-6943850188
Families of the missing Pakistanis can contact the Embassy of Pakistan to share details at the following number:
Meanwhile President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have emphasized on the need to speed up measures to combat human trafficking.
In their separate statements, they expressed deep sorrow and grief over the death of Pakistani nationals in a boat capsizing incident near Greece.
In his statement, President Asif Ali Zardari said human trafficking is a heinous practice as people lose their loved ones in it.
The President offered condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for fortitude to them.
The Prime Minister instructed Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to submit an inquiry report of the incident as soon as possible. He said concrete steps should be taken to prevent such incidents in future.
PM Shehbaz Sharif said human trafficking is a heinous crime that claims many lives and destroys many homes every year.
He said human traffickers are a cruel mafia which extorts money from poor people by showing them false dreams.
PM Shehbaz Sharif said such people should be identified and punished severely so that they may not repeat such heinous acts.
Meanwhile Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has taken notice of the tragic boat capsizing incident near Greece’s southern island.
Expressing his concern over the incident, he directed to conduct a thorough investigation in this regard. He strongly condemned human trafficking, calling it an intolerable crime that has destroyed many families.
He urged the Federal Investigation Agency to take nationwide, unbiased action against the trafficking mafias involved in these illegal activities.