Islamabad (Web Desk/Agencies): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday expressed his condolences with the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate ferry disaster in the Mediterranean sea off the coast of Greece.
On his Twitter handle, the premier wrote “My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate ferry disaster in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece.”
PM Shehbaz further said that Pakistan’s Embassy in Athens had identified 12 Pakistanis rescued by Hellenic Coast Guard. The embassy was in contact with the Greek authorities for further updates.
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Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also extended his condolences to those who lost relatives in the accident.
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Meanwhile, Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ahsraf on Saturday directed the quarters concerned to take stern action against the elements involved in human trafficking and putting the lives of innocent people at risk.
The directives came after the House’s attention was drawn towards the tragic incident of a boat capsizing in the Greek waters which allegedly claimed the lives of people on board, including some Pakistanis, attempting to enter the country illegally from Libya.
The speaker observed that human smuggling was a horrific act to dodge innocent people in the name of sending them abroad and left in the lurch to face such a situation, asking the government to take an ‘immediate action’ against those whosoever found involved in it and give them exemplary punishment.
The NA speaker’s statement came in response to Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan (MMAP) who drew the attention of the House towards the tragedy and said that as per media reports, Pakistani nationals were among those who lost their lives in the incident.
He demanded that a report on the incident be presented in the House, containing details about the number of Pakistanis on board the ill-fated fishing boat, if any, and the role of those responsible to curb human smuggling.
Earlier on Saturday, the Foreign Office (FO) said that a total of twelve Pakistanis were identified among the survivors of the capsized boat off the coast of Greece, but so far the number and identity of Pakistani nationals among the deceased was not yet verified.
In a press statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the Pakistan Mission in Greece under the leadership of Ambassador Aamar Aftab remained in contact with the local authorities for identification and recovery of Pakistani nationals among the deceased and providing relief to the survivors.
"Our Mission also remains in contact with the Greek authorities in the identification process of the 78 recovered bodies. This identification process will take place through DNA-matching with close family members (parents and children only)," the spokesperson further said.
Families of likely passengers on board the ill-fated boat were requested to contact Pak Mission in Greece on the 24/7 helpline numbers for verification purposes.
They were also requested to share DNA reports from authenticated laboratories and the identity documents of the passenger at ‘info@pakistanembassy.gr’.
According to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights officials, up to 500 people were still missing from a migrant boat that sank off Greece.
A large number of women and children were among those missing in the “horrific tragedy” that left 78 people dead.
The fishing boat was carrying up to 750 people that went down 50 nautical miles off Pylos in southern Greece, according to international media.
