PM constitutes committee to probe boat capsizing incident off Greece coast

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday constituted a four-member high-level committee to investigate the tragic incident of boat capsizing off Greece coast resulting in deaths of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir nationals.

According to a notification today (Sunday), the committee will comprise Director General National Police Bureau Ehsan Sadiq as Chairman as well as Additional Secretary (Africa) Minister of Foreign Affairs Javed Ahmed Umrani , Deputy Inspector General Police Poonch Region of AJK  Sardar Zaheer Ahemed and  Joint Secretary Federal Investigation Agency Faisal Nisar Chaudhry.

The committee shall submit its report within one week.

As per terms of reference of the committee, it will ascertain facts of the Greece boat tragedy, to identity loopholes and lapses in the legal and enforcement mechanism in Pakistan that exposed precious human lives to the vagaries of human trafficking in this particular case and similar incidents in the past. It will analyze similar past incidents and action taken.

The forum will also take stock of existing legal framework, enforcement measures in the country and the international coordination to prevent, control and punish human smuggling and to prepare short and long term recommendations, including legislation, enforcement measures, awareness campaign and improvement of national and international coordination to apprehend agents, facilitators, masterminds and rackets and for the eradication of the menace of human trafficking.

The Prime Minister, while expressing his grief on the tragic incident, has also directed to observe a Day of Mourning tomorrow. The national flag shall fly on half-mast.