Over 60 FIA officials implicated in Human Trafficking ring behind Greece boat tragedy

ISLAMABAD: The heartbreaking Greek boat tragedy has exposed a large human trafficking ring in which more than sixty officers of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were involved.

A report shared with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has revealed that a large-scale human trafficking operation involving dozens of officers was launched as part of an investigation into the tragic boat capsizing incident off the coast of southern Greece on June 14, 2023, and it has expressed serious concerns over the role of immigration officers at various exit points across the country – from where thousands are desperately seeking to escape.

More than 250 people died in the boat tragedy, of which 155 victims departed from Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport. The inquiry has uncovered a large human trafficking network within the FIA, in which 61 officers were involved in facilitating illegal migration.

The report said that over 4,000 Pakistanis were sent to Greece and many of them lost their lives in three separate boat accidents.

The investigation also resulted in a final report recommending the dismissal of 38 FIA officials, with disciplinary action already initiated against 21 of the officers involved. The inquiry also raised questions about the frequent departures to war-torn Libya, which should have raised red flags among immigration staff.

It concluded that the failure of supervisory officers to identify suspicious travel patterns played a major role in perpetuating these illegal activities.

The inquiry also recommended strict disciplinary action, including possible dismissal under the Civil Servants Efficiency and Discipline (E&D) Rules, 2020. Show-cause notices have been issued to the officials involved, and failure to respond within 10 days will result in formal disciplinary action.