The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) announced on Sunday the arrest of Usman Jajja, the main suspect behind last year’s deadly Greece Boat Tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of at least 40 Pakistani nationals. The tragedy occurred when three boats, carrying 175 illegal migrants from various countries, capsized off the Greek coast.
According to a report by the Pakistan Embassy in Athens, the boats had departed from Libya’s Tobruk port. The first boat carried 45 passengers, including six Pakistanis, the second boat had 47 people with five Pakistanis onboard, and the third boat, the largest of the three, contained 83 passengers, of which 76 were Pakistani nationals. A total of 39 survivors were rescued from the third boat, 36 of whom were Pakistanis.
In response to the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered nationwide crackdowns against human smuggling networks and the FIA officials suspected of aiding traffickers. As a result, 35 FIA officials were dismissed, and former FIA Director General Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir was removed from his position for allegedly delaying the investigation and mishandling the case of illegal migration.
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Moreover, the key suspect of Greece Boat Tragedy, Jamia Naeemia in Lahore issued a religious edict, condemning the use of illegal routes to travel abroad, with religious scholars declaring such practices unlawful and against Shariah law.
The FIA’s statement revealed that Usman Jajja, who had been operating an international human smuggling ring, was initially incarcerated in Sialkot Jail after an altercation. Despite this, Jajja managed to escape after receiving bail, and he was later found hiding in Gilgit-Baltistan. The FIA had previously alerted police about the suspect’s whereabouts after his escape.
This arrest comes amid another tragic incident in January 2025, when a boat carrying illegal migrants from Mauritania to Spain capsized. At least 50 people, including 44 Pakistanis, lost their lives, and many others remain missing. The boat had departed Mauritania on January 2 with 86 passengers on board. Moroccan authorities rescued 36 survivors, while the remaining migrants, mostly Pakistanis, are presumed dead.
Despite the risks, illegal migration remains a perilous but persistent route for many individuals in search of better opportunities abroad. Human traffickers continue to exploit the vulnerabilities of socio-economically disadvantaged individuals desperate to flee their circumstances, often at great cost and danger.
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