Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a four-member inquiry committee to probe the Greece boat incident, in which many Pakistani nationals died.
So far, no official number has been given by the government regarding the number of Pakistanis who lost their lives in the tragic incident. However, an official condolence message issued by Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani said that he “deeply mourns the tragic loss of over 300 Pakistani lives in the recent boat accident off the coast of Greece.”
According to a report in Guardian, about 400 Pakistanis were on board. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday that only 12 of the 78 survivors were from Pakistan.
Director General, National Police Bureau (Chairman) Ehsan Sadiq, Additional Secretary (Africa), MoFA Javed Ahmed Umrani, DIG Police Region Poonch, AJ&K Sardar Zaheer Ahmad and Joint Secretary (FIA), Interior Division Faisal Nisar would be members of the committee and will submit a report in one week.
According to the terms of reference, the committee will ascertain facts of the Greece boat tragedy besides identifying loopholes and lapses in the legal/enforcement mechanism in Pakistan that exposed precious human lives to the vagaries of human trafficking in this particular case and similar incidents in the past.
The committee will also analyze similar past incidents and actions taken and take stock of the existing legal framework, enforcement measures (in the country), and international coordination to prevent, control, and punish human smuggling.
The committee will also prepare short and long-term recommendations (including legislation, enforcement measures, awareness campaigns, and improvement of national and international coordination) to apprehend agents, facilitators/masterminds/rackets and for the eradication of the menace of human trafficking.
Human Smugglers no doubt need to be apprehended, but also the parents who financed their journey. They also know that their son is going illegally and it has consequences. Any village who has been able to successfully send their sons illegally abroad, their parents need to be punished severely so that other parents know not to follow their steps.