Kin await news about 110 migrants

GUJRANWALA:

As many as 110 youths from Gujranwala and adjoining districts are among the migrants missing following a boat accident near Greece.

According to officials, the men whose identities have been confirmed include 40 residents of Gujranwala. However, their families are hesitant to communicate with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the media, causing difficulties in their identification.

Reports indicate that Gujranwala has the highest number of people missing after the boat accident.

Thus far, information has emerged about 110 youths from Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Hafizabad districts, all of whom were on board the ill-fated boat.

Among the 40 missing youths from Gujranwala, nine are from the city, 11 from Wazirabad and 20 from Nowshera Virkan. The missing men identified by the authorities include 52 from various villages in the region, six from Mandi Bahauddin, 13 from Sialkot and one from Hafizabad.

Since the accident, the FIA Gujranwala circle has registered 18 cases and apprehended eight suspected human smugglers. Two of them, Azmat and Umar, have been presented before a court that allowed their remand for two days for investigations. Additionally, DNA samples have been collected from 42 people for identification through matching data with relatives. FIA Additional Director Makhdoom Qaiser Bashir announced that arrest warrants would be issued with the help of Interpol for human smugglers who had fled abroad.

The Punjab Forensic Science Agency is conducting DNA tests on samples provided by family members hailing from Gujranwala, Sialkot and Hafizabad.

The official urged people to cooperate, expressing confidence that the identification process would be completed soon. Meanwhile, the surviving youths have begun reaching out to their families through various means.

Arsalan Ali accused Mehndi Ali and Asif Sunyara as human smuggling agents in a video message.

Both suspects are from Gujrat, and sources said the FIA investigators were particularly interested in the role of Asif in the case. The FIA additional director said all those who had embarked on the journey had initially travelled to Libya through legal means, which did not indicate the involvement of human traffickers. However, their networks extended beyond Libya and taking an illegal route had led to the tragedy.

The official expressed concern over lack of cooperation from parents, saying it had hindered the investigation. He urged the families to share the names their missing members and the agents involved in their travel.

Prolonged ordeal

Another survivor, Zahid Akbar, shared detailed information in an audio message, recounting how he had embarked on the journey aboard the boat.

According to him, the boat designed to accommodate only 300 people had been overloaded by the smugglers, carrying approximately 700 passengers.

He stated that more than 300 of the passengers were Pakistanis, who were confined to the lower portion of the boat amid intense heat and humidity.

The journey continued for two days, but the boat suddenly suffered mechanical failure. Attempts were made to repair the boat in the middle of the sea. During this time, the passengers endured extreme thirst and hunger. They resorted to drinking saltwater from the sea using makeshift ropes and bottles.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2023.