Pakistan

Pakistan to raise coast guard behaviour with Greece

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

Govt’s plan comes after hearing survivor accounts.
Sanaullah says probe against human traffickers underway.
As per foreign media, 80 people have died in the incident.

Days after the tragic boat capsizing incident near Greece’s coast claimed the lives of hundreds of people, including Pakistanis, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Pakistan plans to take up the conduct of the Greek coast guard with their government.

The government’s plan comes as a result of horrifying accounts of Pakistani survivors on the ill-fated boat, who said the ship was deliberately sunk and no rescue was provided. Reports in foreign media also revealed that Pakistanis were forced to the bottom of the trawler.

The interior minister added that the remaining Pakistani passengers, who survived the incident, shared their distressing experiences and highlighted the situation’s gravity.

“Investigation into human trafficking is currently underway,” Sanaullah said, speaking during Geo News programme ‘Geo Pakistan’.

He added that the authorities aim to crack down on smugglers with the strictest legal measures.

Commenting on the worsening issue of human trafficking, the minister said the government would seek international collaboration to combat these traffickers.

“Often, the culprits settle cases by paying off the victims. Shockingly, it has been revealed that the accused were receiving amounts ranging from Rs20,00,000 to Rs25,00,000 per person,” he added.

Additionally, Sanaullah said, a committee has been established to tackle the issue of human trafficking, with a deadline of one week to complete their investigation and submit a comprehensive report.

Surprisingly, he added, human rights organisations have largely overlooked this critical issue, focusing on relatively minor concerns instead.

FIA to take down traffickers

A day earlier, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) formed teams in major cities, including Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, to bring the human traffickers to justice, expanding the scope of its investigation into the boat tragedy.

The decision was made during a meeting held with FIA Director General Mohsin Hassan Butt at the agency’s headquarters in Islamabad, according to a statement issued by the FIA.

Authorities in Europe still have no clear idea how many people were aboard the boat when it sank — estimates range from 400 to over 700 — but hundreds likely came from Pakistan, and many from Azad Jammu Kashmir. As per foreign media reports, 80 people have died, and hundreds are still missing.

Chairing the meeting, the FIA DG directed to complete the investigations against the human traffickers in connection with the Greece shipwreck at the earliest.

“To prevent such incidents in the future, a meeting of the FIA’s inter-agency task force has also been called tomorrow in which an effective strategy will be chalked out,” read the statement.

Terming the human traffickers and their facilitators “international culprits”, the FIA DG directed to take action against the content relating to crossing the border illegally on social media.

The meeting was told the 83 residents of Punjab were still missing in the tragic incident.

Latest News

Rainfall throughout the night stops flights in Lahore.

Published

17 hours ago

Farwa

Allama Iqbal International Airport experienced many hours of flight disruption due to the intense rainfall and windstorms that occurred overnight in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab.

Aviation sources claim that because of the monsoon weather, the flight operation was unable to operate between 3 and 4 am.

It is possible that the planes will arrive at the airport at 4 am.

Amidst delays in foreign airline flights, three aircraft made landings in Multan and Peshawar.

Riyadh flights arrived in Peshawar Airport, while flights scheduled to land in Lahore in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain ended up landing in Multan Airport.

Seven hours later than scheduled, the Qatar Airways flight from Doha arrived in Lahore.

Because of the bad weather, there are delays in the arrival and departure of numerous international planes.

Latest News

Changes to Pakistan’s Test team could be significant for the Bangladesh series.

Published

17 hours ago

Farwa

Major changes to Pakistan’s team are anticipated ahead of the forthcoming Test series against Bangladesh, sources in Lahore have revealed.

As the team gets ready for the series, meetings with the players are planned for next week.

It is predicted that the Test squad would undergo several changes. The team’s lineup is expected to be strengthened by the likely inclusion of Muhammad Huraira. Key players like Faheem Ashraf, Wasim Jr., Saim Ayub, and Nauman Ali, whose contributions are vital to the team’s success, struggle to get a spot on the squad.

Furthermore, according to sources, Imamul Haq or Sahibzada Farhan are anticipated to be added to the team, subject to additional assessment. Furthermore, following a fitness assessment, Amir Jamal and Hasan Ali’s futures will be determined.

The ultimate selection for the Test team will take place following Red Ball head coach Jason Gillespie’s return to Pakistan. The ultimate squad that will play Bangladesh in the forthcoming Test series will be greatly influenced by his assessments and thoughts.

Pakistan is scheduled to visit New Zealand in March and April of 2025, according to the country’s official cricket schedule, which was released earlier this month.

Throughout their visit, the Pakistan cricket team will play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in an exciting series.

The T20I series, which starts at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on March 16, will serve as the tour’s opening event.

Latest News

PM Meets With KP Lawmakers: Promises Progression and Relief Efforts in Province

Published

17 hours ago

Farwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhawa lawmakers are given assurances by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the province’s development, namely in the amalgamated districts, with a particular emphasis on the provision of standard health and educational facilities.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa National and Provincial Assembly members paid a visit to Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at PM House.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister stated that the PML-N Government has always given priority to the development of the combined districts.

The prime minister promised that the combined Districts would have standard health and educational facilities, and that Danish Schools would be established nearby to offer local pupils an education of the highest caliber possible.

The PM also underlined the importance of promoting solar energy, combating electricity theft, and helping the middle class and impoverished.

He said that in order to boost the agriculture sector’s growth, expand the amount of land under cultivation, and reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign fuel imports, the government was converting agricultural tubewells to solar energy nationwide.

According to PM Shehbaz Sharif, the government recently provided significant reduction from electricity rates for those with low and moderate incomes.

At the event, he also announced the creation of a committee headed by the deputy prime minister, whose goal will be to identify long-term solutions to the issues facing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s elected officials.

He argued that in order to preserve the nation from going into default, the current government had to make difficult political choices in order to revitalize the economy.

The parliamentarians gave Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif high marks for his visionary leadership in transforming Pakistan’s economy.