Authorities are on an intensified crackdown on human smuggling networks after a wooden boat carrying passengers from Libya to Greece sank, leaving at least five Pakistanis dead.
Pakistani authorities have launched a manhunt to track down human traffickers suspected to be involved in a deadly shipwreck off the Greek coast in December, the German news agency dpa reported on Friday (January 3).
Security forces have arrested dozens of suspects in connection with the shipwreck, which claimed the lives of at least five Pakistanis. The wooden boat, reportedly carrying passengers from Libya to Greece, sank south of Gavdos Island, near Crete.
Dpa reported that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a clampdown to dismantle traffickers who are part of purported global smuggling networks, transporting people to Europe from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Thousands of Pakistanis pay millions of rupees to human smugglers who promise to ferry them through a rough and treacherous sea route crossing Iran, Turkey, Libya, Greece, and Italy.
In 2023, about 300 Pakistanis perished when the Adriana fishing trawler sank off the Greek coast. The Adriana was weighed down by the more than 700 passengers on board. The tragedy is known as one of the deadliest shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea.
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Seeking better opportunities abroad
With a population of around 240 million, about 6.3 million Pakistani nationals live overseas. Data from the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics shows that 862,625 Pakistani nationals emigrated last year, equivalent to a 3.6 percent increase from the previous year.
A lack of job opportunities, galloping inflation rates, and economic stability are driving Pakistanis to seek opportunities elsewhere.
While most Pakistanis head off for the United Arab Emirates to seek out jobs, there is an increasing number of Pakistanis arriving in Europe -- notably Italy, UK, Greece, France, Germany, and Hungary to seek asylum.
Some reportedly intended to get permanent residency in Europe or used these arrival countries as a stepping stone to reach other European nations. In 2022, close to 33,000 Pakistanis were reported to be first-time asylum seekers in the European Union, representing a 57 percent increase compared to 2021.