Italy arrests two Pakistanis among three alleged traffickers after migrant boat wreck

A dead body is found in the aftermath of a deadly migrant shipwreck in Steccato di Cutro near Crotone, Italy, on February 28, 2023. (REUTERS)
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Updated 28 February 2023
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Italy arrests two Pakistanis among three alleged traffickers after migrant boat wreck

  • The shipwreck left at least 64 migrants dead, including more than two dozen Pakistanis
  • The suspects allegedly asked migrants for about 8,000 euros each for the deadly journey

CROTONE: Italy has arrested three people who they believe trafficked up to 200 migrants aboard a wooden boat that smashed apart on rocks off southern Italy on Sunday, killing at least 64 people, police said on Tuesday. 

Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Lippolis said a Turkish man and two Pakistani nationals had sailed the boat from Turkey to Italy despite the terrible weather, and were identified by survivors as "the main culprits of the tragedy". 

"According to initial investigations, they allegedly asked the migrants for about 8,000 euros ($8,485) each for the deadly journey," said Lippolis, commander of a finance police team in the region of Calabria. "All three have been arrested." 

One of the Pakistanis was a minor, a judicial source said, adding that police were looking for a fourth suspect, who is Turkish. 

The boat hit rocks and broke up early on Sunday in heavy seas near the town of Steccato di Cutro on the toe of Italy. 

Rescuers pulled a dead man from the sea on Tuesday, bringing the number of bodies retrieved so far to 64, including about 14 children. There were 80 survivors, who said that the boat had been carrying between 150 to 200 migrants. 

"We will carry on searching ... the sea until we are certain that we have found everyone," said Rocco Mortato, a member of the underwater diving team of the fire brigade. 

The boat had set sail from the port of Izmir in western Turkey towards the end of last week. Rescuers said most of the migrants came from Afghanistan, with others from Pakistan, Iran, Somalia and Syria. 

'Traumatised' 

Teams from the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity were providing psychological support to the survivors. 

"They are heavily traumatised. Everyone has lost someone," said Mara Eliana Tunno, an MSF psychologist. 

One 12-year-old boy had lost his entire family, while a 16-year-old boy from Afghanistan has lost his sister. 

"He didn't have the courage to tell his parents," Tunno said. 

The tragedy has fuelled a debate on migration in Europe and Italy, where the recently elected right-wing government's tough new laws for migrant rescue charities have drawn criticism from the United Nations and others. 

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an interview on Monday that she had written to European Union institutions calling for immediate action by the bloc to stop migrant boat trips so as to prevent more deaths. 

"The more people depart, the more risk dying," she told RAI public television. "The only way to tackle this issue seriously, with humanity, is to stop the departures." 

Hundreds of thousands of migrants have reached Italy by boat over the past decade, fleeing conflict and poverty back home. 

The United Nations Missing Migrants Project has registered more than 20,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014, including more than 220 this year, making it the most dangerous migrant route in the world. 

A group of politicians from the Green party demonstrated in front of Meloni's office on Tuesday to demand why more wasn't done to save the migrants when their crowded vessel was spotted on Saturday. 

Police have said that patrol boats were sent to intercept the migrants, but severe weather forced them to return to port. 


Pakistan army says three militants killed in operation in South Waziristan

Updated 4 sec ago
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Pakistan army says three militants killed in operation in South Waziristan

  • Intelligence-based operation carried out in Sararogha area in South Waziristan district
  • Afghan Taliban said Pakistan strikes in border province of Afghanistan had killed 46 people

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan army said on Wednesday three militants had been killed in an intelligence-based operation in the northwestern South Waziristan district.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militancy in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan since November 2022, when a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban and the government in Islamabad broke down.
In recent months, Islamabad has publicly accused Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups, particularly the TTP, that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
“On 24-25 December 2024, Security Forces conducted an intelligence based operation in general area Sararogha, South Waziristan District on reported presence of khwarij [militants],” the army’s media wing said. 
“During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged khwarij location, as a result of which, thirteen khwarij were sent to hell.”
The army’s statement came hours after a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban rulers in Kabul said Pakistan air strikes in an eastern border province of Afghanistan had killed 46 people.
There has been no official comment from Pakistani authorities on the latest strikes in Afghan territory.
“Last night [Tuesday], Pakistan bombarded four points in the Barmal district of Paktika province. The total number of dead is 46, most of whom were children and women,” Afghan Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
He added that six more people were wounded, mostly children.
An Afghan defense ministry statement late Tuesday condemned the latest strikes by Pakistan on Afghan territory, calling them “barbaric” and a “clear aggression.”
“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered, but rather considers the defense of its territory and sovereignty to be its inalienable right,” the statement said, using the Taliban authorities’ name for the government.
Deadly air strikes by Pakistan’s military in the border regions of Afghanistan in March that the Taliban authorities said killed eight civilians prompted skirmishes on the frontier.
With inputs from AFP


Government helicopters continue to deliver aid to Pakistani district wracked by sectarian feuds

Updated 10 min 27 sec ago
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Government helicopters continue to deliver aid to Pakistani district wracked by sectarian feuds

  • Police say at least 136 killed in fresh sectarian feuds in Kurram that started last month
  • Northwestern district has for decades seen fighting between Shia and Sunni groups

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday humanitarian aid continued to be delivered to the northwestern Khurram district where the blockade of a main highway since last month following sectarian clashes in the region has triggered a humanitarian crisis.
Kurram, a tribal district of around 600,000 where federal and provincial authorities have traditionally exerted limited control, has frequently experienced violence between its Sunni and Shia communities over land and power. Travelers to and from the town often ride in convoys escorted by security officials.
The latest feuding started on Nov. 21 when gunmen ambushed a vehicle convoy and killed 52 people, mostly Shias. The assault triggered road closures and other measures that have disrupted people’s access to medicine, food, fuel, education and work. Over 130 people have been killed in the fighting that has ensued after the convoy attack, according to police records.
The provincial and federal governments and the Edhi Foundation charity last week started sending medicines to the region via helicopters.
“On the instructions of Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, the Cabinet Division helicopter has been allocated for the provision of medicines, transfer of patients and other relief activities in Parachinar,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
Parachinar is the main town in Kurram and a main road that connects the region to Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been blocked since sectarian fighting began late last month.
“The National Disaster Management Authority is carrying out this important relief operation to deliver medicines to Parachinar to meet the emergency medical needs of children, women and elderly people of Parachinar,” the PM’s office said.
On Wednesday morning, a government helicopter carrying 500 kilograms of medicines reached Parachinar and returned to Islamabad, the federal capital, with four patients.
“The second helicopter has left Islamabad for Parachinar this afternoon carrying another 500 kg of medicines and on its return, it will bring patients from Parachinar to Islamabad,” the PM’s office said.
Kurram police spokesman Riaz Khan told Arab News on Monday least 136 people had been killed in the violence since last month. If you added those who had died due to lack of access to hospitals and medicines following the road closures, the number reached at least 200, the police officer said.
Pakistani media widely reported on Wednesday at least 100 children has died in Kurram due to lack of access to medication and health facilities. 
The KP provincial government last week launched a helicopter service to evacuate people and transport aid and medicines to Kurran amid the closer of the Parachinar-Peshawar road.
The KP government also said last week authorities had decided to dismantle private bunkers — observation posts used in the fighting by both sides — and given a deadline of Feb. 1 for tribesmen in Kurram to handover heavy weapons. 
Local tribesmen have so far reportedly refused to surrender their weapons, citing concerns about their safety.


Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan — Taliban spokesman

Updated 26 min 57 sec ago
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Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan — Taliban spokesman

  • Zabihullah Mujahid says most of the dead were women and children, six wounded, mostly children
  • There has been no official comment from Pakistani authorities on the latest strike in Afghan territory

KABUL: Pakistan air strikes in an eastern border province of Afghanistan had killed 46 people, the Taliban government spokesman told AFP on Wednesday.
There has been no official comment from Pakistani authorities on the latest strike in Afghan territory.
“Last night [Tuesday], Pakistan bombarded four points in the Barmal district of Paktika province. The total number of dead is 46, most of whom were children and women,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
He added that six more people were wounded, mostly children.
An Afghan defense ministry statement late Tuesday condemned the latest strikes by Pakistan on Afghan territory, calling them “barbaric” and a “clear aggression.”
“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered, but rather considers the defense of its territory and sovereignty to be its inalienable right,” the statement said, using the Taliban authorities’ name for the government.
Deadly air strikes by Pakistan’s military in the border regions of Afghanistan in March that the Taliban authorities said killed eight civilians prompted skirmishes on the frontier.
A Barmal resident, Maleel, told AFP Tuesday’s strikes killed 18 members of one family.
“The bombardment hit two or three houses, in one house, 18 people were killed, the whole family lost their lives,” he said.
He said a strike killed three people in another house and wounded several others, who were taken to hospital.
Border tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Taliban government seized power in 2021, with Pakistan battling a resurgence of militant violence in its western border regions.
Islamabad has accused Kabul’s Taliban authorities of harboring militant fighters, allowing them to strike on Pakistani soil with impunity.
Kabul has denied the allegations.
The strike comes after the Pakistani Taliban, who are known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and share a common ideology with their Afghan counterparts, last week claimed a raid on an army outpost near the border with Afghanistan, which Pakistani intelligence officials said killed 16 soldiers.
Earlier Tuesday, high-level Taliban officials were meeting with Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan who was on a visit to Kabul.


UAE, other nations now require police verification for Pakistanis seeking work visas — official

Updated 25 December 2024
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UAE, other nations now require police verification for Pakistanis seeking work visas — official

  • Pakistani immigration official says visit visa applicants to UAE do not need police certificates
  • Secretary for Overseas Pakistanis says unskilled labor facing visa delays, no issue for skilled workers

KARACHI: Pakistanis seeking work visas for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries are now required to produce police verification certificates, the director general of the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment confirmed to Arab News this week.
The development comes amid recent media reports of a decline in UAE visas for Pakistanis and a decrease in overall overseas employment for nationals of Pakistan, allegedly due to their lack of respect for local laws and customs and for participating in political activities and sloganeering while abroad.
On Monday, the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development on Monday convened a special session at the Parliament House to deliberate what it described as the UAE’s “unofficial visa restrictions,” calling on the Pakistan government to keep the public informed about the real status of the issue. 
Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the UAE was taking steps to streamline visas for Pakistanis. The Gulf state’s consul general in Karachi, Dr. Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi, has recently said there was no visa ban on Pakistani nationals.
“This police verification is for work purposes, and it is also for other countries,” DG Bureau of Emigration, Muhammad Tayyab, told Arab News in an interview on Tuesday, adding that his statement in this regard to the Senate committee session only related to work visas.
“The media reporting on this matter, in my opinion, should have been a bit more cautious,” he said. “My department deals with people who go abroad for work. My department has nothing to do with people who are going on visits, personal visits or tours.”
Tayyab said he had informed the Senate committee that a large number of Pakistanis had visited the UAE during 2024.
“I made it very clear in the committee yesterday that if there were restrictions, then approximately more than 65,000 people would not have gone abroad this year,” he added.
Nadeem Sharif, a former chairman of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP), confirmed there was no police certificate requirement for UAE visit visas.
“There have been no such restrictions that those going to UAE on visit visas would require police clearance certificates. People have flown to the UAE yesterday and today [without them],” he told Arab News.
Addressing Monday’s Senate committee meeting as per a report published in Pakistan’s Geo News, Arshad Mahmood, the secretary of Overseas Pakistanis, said that while unskilled workers had faced delays in getting UAE visas, skilled laborers were receiving visas without problems.


Pakistan airstrikes target suspected TTP militant hideouts in Afghanistan

Updated 25 December 2024
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Pakistan airstrikes target suspected TTP militant hideouts in Afghanistan

  • Strikes carried out in mountainous area in Paktika province bordering Pakistan, training facility dismantled, insurgents killed 
  • Afghan Defense Ministry condemns airstrikes by Pakistan, saying they targeted civilians, including women and children

PESHAWAR: Pakistan in rare airstrikes targeted multiple suspected hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban inside neighboring Afghanistan on Tuesday, dismantling a training facility and killing some insurgents, four security officials said.
The strikes were carried out in a mountainous area in Paktika province bordering Pakistan, said the officials. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the record. It was unclear whether the jets went deep inside Afghanistan, and how the strikes were launched.
No spokesman for Pakistan’s military was immediately available to share further details. But it was the second such attack on alleged hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban since March, when Pakistan said intelligence-based strikes took place in the border regions inside Afghanistan.
In Kabul, the Afghan Defense Ministry condemned the airstrikes by Pakistan, saying the bombing targeted civilians, including women and children.
It said that most of the victims were refugees from the Waziristan region.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers this a brutal act against all international principles and blatant aggression and strongly condemns it,” the ministry said.
Local residents said at least eight people, including women and children, were killed in the airstrikes by Pakistan. They said the death toll from the strikes may rise.
In a post on the X platform, the Afghan defense ministry said the Pakistani side should know that such unilateral measures are not a solution to any problem.
“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered but rather considers the defense of its territory and territory to be its inalienable right.”
The strikes came hours after Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, traveled to Kabul to discuss a range of issues, including how to enhance bilateral trade, and improve ties.
Sadiq during the visit met with Sirajuddin Haqqani, Afghanistan’s acting interior minister, to offer his condolences over the Dec. 11 killing of his uncle Khalil Haqqani. He was the minister for refugees and repatriation who died in a suicide bombing that was claimed by a regional affiliate of the Daesh group.
Sadiq in a post on X said he also met with Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and he “held wide ranging discussions. Agreed to work together to further strengthen bilateral cooperation as well as for peace and progress in the region.”
A delegation of the pro-Taliban Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam also visited Kabul on Tuesday to convey condolences over the killing of Haqqani’s uncle.
Islamabad often claims that the Pakistani Taliban use Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan, a charge Kabul has denied.
Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security expert, said Tuesday’s airstrike “represents a clear and blunt warning to Pakistani Taliban that Pakistan will use all the available means against the terrorist outfit both inside and outside its borders.” However, it is not an indiscriminate use of force and due care was taken by Pakistan in ensuring that only the terrorist bases were hit and no civilian loss of life and property took place, he said.
The Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, whose leaders and fighters are hiding in Afghanistan.
The TTP has stepped up attacks on Pakistani soldiers and police since November 2022, when it unilaterally ended a ceasefire with the government after the failure of months of talks hosted by Afghanistan’s government in Kabul. The TTP in recent months has killed and wounded dozens of soldiers in attacks inside the country.