The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Mohammad Iqbal, the main suspect behind the deadly boat in 2023, hulled Greece, which cost more than 250 Pakistanis. The suspect was apprehended upon arrival at Lahore airport on Monday.
The tragedy occurred in June 2023 when a overcrowded ship, transporting hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, capsized and sunk into international waters near the Greek coastal city of Pylos.
The disaster was one of the deadliest boats tragedies ever recorded in the Mediterranean, highlighting the dangerous and often fatal trips undertaken by migrants looking for better financial opportunities in Europe.
The FIA said that Iqbal, a resident of Libya since 2013, was involved in the management of a human trafficking network, illegally sending Pakistani citizens to Europe via boats.
The agency has traced illegal transactions worth 80 million rupees ($ 287,356) from its bank account. It was reserved in several cases recorded in the FIA Lahore zone.
“The suspect managed a human trafficking network in Libya,” FIA said in a statement. “He illegally sent several Pakistani citizens to Europe in Libya via boats.”
FIA Lahore director Sarfraz Virk stressed that the agency’s repression against human trafficking networks was underway. “Strict sanctions will be imposed on human traffickers responsible for boats incidents,” said Virk. “FIA teams are in constant contact with affected families.”
In addition, last month, the FIA issued red opinions for 20 traffickers of human beings abroad involved in the tragedy of the Greek boat. A red opinion is a request from the member states of Interpol to locate and arrest individuals for extradition.
The Greek tragedy is part of a broader question of migrants from Pakistan, many motivated by economic difficulties, risking their lives in perilous passages in Europe.
In December 2023, five Pakistani nationals died in a sinking from Gavdos Island in Greece. More recently, a boat capsized near the coast of Morocco on January 15, carrying 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that 22 survivors had been found.
