National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Saturday called on the government to “immediately investigate” the capsizing of a fishing boat earlier this week, which resulted in at least 78 fatalities and is thought to have included Pakistanis.
On Wednesday, an overloaded boat — with around 750 people on board according to a European rescue support charity — sank in open seas off Greece.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, in a press statement on Saturday, said that the Pakistan Mission in Greece under the leadership of Ambassador Aamar Aftab remained in contact with the local authorities for identification and recovery of Pakistani nationals among the deceased and providing relief to the survivors.
“Our Mission also remains in contact with the Greek authorities in the identification process of the 78 recovered bodies. This identification process will take place through DNA-matching with close family members (parents and children only),” the spokesperson further said.
Families of likely passengers on board the ill-fated boat were requested to contact Pak Mission in Greece on the 24/7 helpline numbers for verification purposes.
They were also requested to share DNA reports from authenticated laboratories and the identity documents of the passenger at ‘info@pakistanembassy.gr’
Convening a session of the National Assembly today, Speaker Ashraf said, “I think this is an extremely reprehensible act in which innocent people are made to face such situations by deceiving them of taking them abroad.”
He went on to urge the government to “take immediate notice and action” on the matter, adding that those involved in the “heinous act should be given an exemplary punishment” so that such a crime does not take place in the future.
