Four Pakistanis identified among the dead in migrant boat tragedy off Greek island
Four Pakistanis identified among the dead in migrant boat tragedy off Greek island/node/2583296/pakistan
Four Pakistanis identified among the dead in migrant boat tragedy off Greek island
The Greek Navy conducts a rescue operation after a migrant boat capsized off the island of Gavdos, Greece, December 14, 2024, in this still image obtained from a video. (Hellenic Navy via REUTERS)
ISLAMABAD: The foreign office said on Monday four Pakistanis were among the dead following the latest migrant boat tragedy last week near the Greek island of Crete.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants drowned when an overcrowded vessel capsized and sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek coastal town of Pylos. It was one of the deadliest boat disasters ever in the Mediterranean Sea.
Greek government officials say the spike in migrant arrivals is being driven by conflicts in the Middle East.
“We announce with deep sorrow that, as per the latest information shared by the Greek authorities, four Pakistani nationals have been identified among the dead in Saturday’s incidents of capsized boats in the south of Crete Island of Greece,” the foreign office said in a statement on Monday evening.
“Our Mission in Athens is in contact with the Greek authorities to facilitate the survivors and repatriate the dead bodies.”
Greece was a favored gateway to the European Union for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia in 2015-2016, when nearly 1 million people landed on its islands, mostly via inflatable dinghies.
Incidents with migrant boats and shipwrecks off Crete and its tiny neighbor Gavdos, which are relatively isolated in the central Mediterranean, have increased over the past year.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday launched Pakistan’s second nationwide vaccination campaign against poliovirus, scheduled to be held from Apr. 21-27, as Islamabad struggles to eradicate the disease.
Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure and multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine — along with completing the routine immunization schedule for children under five — are crucial to building immunity against the virus.
Pakistan, which has reported six polio cases so far in 2025, has planned three major vaccination campaigns in the first half of the year, with additional rounds scheduled for April and May. The seven-day campaign is going to be the second anti-polio drive to be held this year, and aims to vaccinate over 45 million children against the disease.
“It is my request to parents all over Pakistan that they help us out in administering polio drops to their children,” Sharif said during a ceremony in Islamabad.
“Help our teams in the field so that this virus can be eliminated for good.”
Sharif said the government has undertaken stringent security measures in sensitive areas for polio volunteers. He called on authorities to mobilize the public so that they become “soldiers” in the fight against poliovirus.
Earlier, the prime minister kicked off the anti-polio campaign by administering polio drops to a few children.
Pakistan’s polio program, launched in 1994, has faced persistent challenges including vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim immunization is a foreign conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or a guise for Western espionage.
Militant groups have also repeatedly targeted and killed polio vaccination workers.
In 2024, Pakistan reported an alarming 74 polio cases. Along with Afghanistan, it remains one of the only two countries where polio is still endemic.
KARACHI: Pakistan’s national airline launched the first Lahore to Baku flight on Sunday, marking its latest step to expand travel links amid Islamabad’s push for deeper connectivity with Central Asian states.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) launched its weekly flight from Lahore to Baku as Islamabad strengthens diplomatic and trade ties with Azerbaijan, a key partner in its broader regional outreach. The new route is expected to boost tourism, business travel, and cultural exchange between the two countries.
PIA’s PK-159 flight departed from Lahore Airport at 11:50 am with 152 passengers for Baku. Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Pakistan Khazar Farhadov attended a ceremony at the airport before the flight’s departure.
“PIA is expanding its network, and Baku is an important addition to this chain,” Asif was quoted as saying by the airline. “This flight will significantly strengthen relations between Pakistan and Azerbaijan.”
The new flight service is seen as part of Pakistan’s ongoing quest to improve air connectivity with countries in Central Asia, where it has been seeking to expand trade and diplomatic engagement in recent years.
Pakistan is aggressively eyeing opportunities to expand trade and tourism ties with regional allies, Gulf countries, Central Asian states and others as it targets sustainable economic growth.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan wants to enhance cooperation with Saudi Arabia in curbing illicit activities such as drug trafficking and human smuggling, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday.
Pakistan this week organized the Pak-GCC Regional Narcotics Conference, organized by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in Islamabad, where delegates from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait gathered to develop a joint strategy against narcotics trafficking and abuse.
Naqvi visited the Saudi embassy in Islamabad on Sunday where he met Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki. The two discussed matters of mutual interest, enhancing bilateral relations and increasing mutual cooperation, the interior ministry said.
“We want to enhance cooperation with Saudi Arabia to prevent drug trafficking and human smuggling,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by his ministry.
Islamabad has been worried about the trend of Pakistani beggars abusing visas to beg in foreign countries. Pakistan fears this could impact genuine visa-seekers and particularly religious pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia.
According to widespread media reports, Riyadh raised this issue with Islamabad at various forums last year.
Naqvi assured Malki that the government has “tightened the noose” around the begging mafia in Pakistan.
“New conditions are being imposed for obtaining passports to curb begging and illegal immigration,” he said.
Naqvi thanked Saudi Arabia for releasing a Pakistani family that had been “framed” for smuggling narcotics to the Kingdom earlier this year.
“Saudi Arabia provided significant support for the release and repatriation of the innocent family,” he said.
“Thanks to the cooperation of the Saudi government, five members of the family were released and returned home,” he added.
As per the interior ministry, Malki said Riyadh enjoyed close relations with Islamabad and wanted to strengthen them further.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial relations rooted in shared faith, culture and traditions.
Pakistanis are the second-largest expatriate community in the Kingdom, with over 2.5 million living and working in Saudi Arabia, the top source of remittances to the South Asian country.
ISLAMABAD: Security has been beefed up in Pakistan’s capital and all routes leading to the Red Zone in Islamabad have been sealed today, Sunday, ahead of a planned Gaza Solidarity March by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) political party.
Religiopolitical party JI had announced it would organize a march toward the US embassy in Islamabad on Apr. 20 to protest Washington’s support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
The JI has held massive protests in Karachi, Lahore and other Pakistani cities this month to protest against Israel’s renewed hostilities in Gaza. The party has also called for a nationwide strike against Israel’s war on Apr. 22.
“Jamaat-e-Islami’s Gaza March is taking place in Islamabad today,” Amirul Azeem, the JI’s general secretary, said in a video message.
“The government of Pakistan has decided to stop this march. I request the people of Pakistan to actively participate in it.”
Azeem said the Islamabad march by the party would remain peaceful similar to its demonstrations in other parts of the country in the recent past. He urged men, women and the elderly from all walks of life to take part in the march and show their support for Palestine.
Local media reported that the government has heightened security measures in the capital ahead of the march, which is scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm.
Authorities have blocked three main routes leading to the Red Zone, a high-security area in Islamabad where all the top government buildings, diplomatic missions, and key institutions are located, using containers, barbed wire and concrete barriers.
News reports also mentioned the increased presence of police personnel at various locations in the city.
Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, has frequently criticized the Jewish state for its military operations in Gaza. Islamabad has also called for the resumption of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory and the need for a revival of negotiations leading to a two-state solution.
Islamabad consistently calls for an independent Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s military offensives in Gaza have killed over 51,000 people and wounded over 116,000, as per the Gaza Health Ministry.
Pakistan has launched strict campaign to evict by end of month more than 800,000 Afghans
Afghan PM Hasan Akhund urges Pakistan government to facilitate “dignified return” of refugees
Updated 48 min 42 sec ago
AFP
KABUL: Afghanistan’s prime minister condemned on Saturday the “unilateral measures” taken by Pakistan to forcibly deport tens of thousands of Afghans since the start of April.
Pakistan has launched a strict campaign to evict by the end of the month more than 800,000 Afghans who have had their residence permits canceled, including some who were born in Pakistan or lived there for decades.
Pakistan’s top diplomat Ishaq Dar flew to Kabul for a day-long visit on Saturday where he held discussions with Afghan Taliban officials, including Prime Minister Hasan Akhund and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
“Rather than collaborating with the Islamic Emirate on the gradual repatriation process, Pakistan’s unilateral measures are intensifying the problem and hindering progress toward a solution,” Akhund said during his meeting with Dar.
He urged the Pakistani government to “facilitate the dignified return of Afghan refugees,” according to a statement on X.
Earlier, foreign minister Muttaqi “expressed his deep concern and disappointment over the situation and forced deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan,” the ministry’s deputy spokesperson Zia Ahmad said on X.
Ahmad added that Dar had reassured officials that Afghans “will not be mistreated.”
Afghans in Pakistan have reported weeks of arbitrary arrests, extortion and harassment by authorities.
Islamabad has said nearly 85,000 have already crossed into Afghanistan, with convoys of Afghan families heading to border crossings each day fearing raids, arrests or separation from family members.
Afghan refugees load their belongings onto a truck as they prepare for their deportation to Afghanistan, at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham on April 19, 2025. (AFP)
On Friday, Pakistan’s deputy interior minister Tallal Chaudhry told a news conference that “there will not be any sort of leniency and extension in the deadline.”
The relationship between the two neighbors has soured as attacks in Pakistan’s border regions have soared following the return of the Taliban government in Afghanistan in 2021.
Last year was the deadliest in Pakistan for a decade, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of allowing militants to take refuge in Afghanistan, from where they plan attacks.
The Taliban government denies the charge.
Chaudhry said on Friday that nearly 85,000 Afghans have crossed into Afghanistan since the start of April, the majority of them undocumented.
More than half of them were children, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
The women and girls among those crossing were entering a country where they are banned from education beyond secondary school and barred from many sectors of work.
Afghanistan’s refugees ministry spokesman told AFP on Saturday the Taliban authorities had recorded some 71,000 Afghan returnees through the two main border points with Pakistan between April 1 and 18.
In the first phase of returns in 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans were forced across the border in the space of a few weeks.
In the second phase announced in March, the Pakistan government canceled the residence permits of more than 800,000 Afghans and warned thousands more awaiting relocation to other countries to leave by the end of April.
The move to expel Afghans is widely supported by Pakistanis.
“They are totally disrespectful toward our country. They have abused us, they have used us. One can’t live in a country if they don’t respect it,” said Ahmad Waleed, standing in his shop on Friday in Rawalpindi, near the capital.
