Pakistani and Greek authorities unite against human traffickers months after shipwreck kills hundreds
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Greece’s Hellenic Police have agreed to cooperate against human trafficking and migrant smuggling by formalizing a memorandum of understanding (MoU), Pakistani state media reported on Saturday. , months after a deadly shipwreck killed Pakistanis among hundreds off Greece.
On June 14, a damaged trawler sank off the Greek Peloponnese peninsula, with approximately 750 people on board from Pakistan, Egypt and Syria heading to Italy from Libya. Only 104 of them were rescued.
Authorities said more than 350 Pakistanis were among the passengers escaping difficult economic circumstances in their country to seek a better future in Europe.
The agreement between Pakistan’s FIA and Greek police would allow the exchange of critical information on human traffickers, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
“This strategic collaboration will enable the sharing of critical information, strengthen mutual support in criminal investigations, and promote capacity-building efforts between the two agencies,” the report reads.
“This important agreement shows the dedication of both agencies to combating transnational crimes.”
Following the June 14 incident, Pakistani officials vowed to take decisive action against human traffickers, prompting the FIA to launch a campaign against illicit operators.
Last week, the FIA also announced the arrest of one of the “most wanted” suspects in the Greek migrant shipwreck.
“The most wanted human trafficker involved in the Greek boat accident has been arrested by the Gujrat circle of FIA,” the anti-crime agency said in a statement.
The individual in question, Javed Hussain, had been wanted by the FIA in seven different cases.
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