Greece completes DNA testing of boat incident victims

Ethan: The Greek government has successfully concluded the DNA testing of 82 individuals who lost their lives in a tragic boat incident.

Now, they await DNA samples from Pakistan to further identify the bodies before repatriating them.

Scheduled for next week, the return of the victims' remains will be facilitated through special planes.

Last week, a heavily overloaded boat carrying over 350 Pakistanis sank off the coast of Greece, with 82 bodies recovered from the sea so far.

Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that they are awaiting DNA samples from Pakistan.

Once received, the samples will be cross-matched, with expectations of identifying at least 15 individuals among the recovered bodies.

Pakistan's Interior Minister, Rana Sanaullah, in a statement made on Friday, pledged to apprehend and prosecute the human smugglers responsible for this tragedy.

The fishing boat, meant to carry a maximum of 400 people, was carrying over 700 passengers when it sank on June 14.

According to Rana Sanaullah, a total of 281 Pakistani families have sought assistance from the government, while an additional 193 families have undergone DNA testing to identify their deceased loved ones.

Pakistan has taken swift action by arresting several human traffickers and their accomplices, who revealed that their ringleader was based in Libya.

These smugglers were charging approximately $8,000 per person for an illegal sea route to Europe, following legal flights to Dubai, Egypt, and Libya.

The Pakistani government is also working to propose amendments to the law, aiming to close loopholes and ensure convictions in such cases.

Shockingly, not a single human trafficker has been convicted in the past five years, largely due to victims' families accepting monetary settlements as pardons.

Interior Minister emphasized that human smuggling is categorized as a non-bailable crime in Pakistan.

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is actively conducting operations, and the mastermind behind this illegal activity, Ali Ahmad, based in Libya, has been apprehended.

Red warrants are set to be issued for individuals named Doshargana, Waseem, and Nadeem, also residing in Libya.