The Federal Research Agency (FIA) arrested Mohammad Iqbal, the main suspect behind the 2023 mortal boat overturned in Greece that claimed the lives of more than 250 Pakistani. The suspect was arrested upon arrival at the Lahore airport on Monday.
The tragedy occurred in June 2023 when a crowded boat, which transported hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistani, overturned and sunk in international waters near the Greek coastal city of Pylos.
The disaster was one of the most fatal boat tragedies ever registered in the Mediterranean, highlighting the dangerous trips that are often mortal made by migrants looking for better financial opportunities in Europe.
The FIA said that IQBAL, resident of Libya since 2013, participated in the administration of a network of trafficking in people, illegally sending Pakistani citizens to Europe through ships.
The agency tracked illegal transactions worth RS80 million ($ 287,356) of its bank account. It has been reserved in multiple cases registered in the FIA Lahore zone.
“The suspect was executing a network of trafficking from Libya,” the FIA said in a statement. “He illegally sent several Pakistani citizens to Europe from Libya through boats.”
The director of FIA Lahore, Sarfraz Virk, emphasized that the repression of the agency against people trafficking was ongoing. “The strict punishment will be taught to traffickers responsible for boat incidents,” Virk said. “FIA teams are in constant contact with affected families.”
In addition, last month, the FIA issued red notices for 20 traffickers of people abroad involved in the tragedy of the Greek ship. A red notice is a request from Interpol Member States to locate and arrest people by extradition.
The Greek tragedy is part of a broader issue of Pakistan migrants, many driven by economic difficulties, risking their lives at dangerous crosses to Europe.
In December 2023, five Pakistani nationals died in a shipwreck of Gavidos Island in Greece. More recently, a boat overturned near the coast of Morocco on January 15, with 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistani. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that 22 survivors were found.
