4 more Pakistanis who died in Greek boat tragedy brought to Lahore

Iran deports another 59 illegal Pakistani migrants.

The dead bodies of four more Pakistanis who died in the Greek boat tragedy were brought to Lahore, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday. The bodies were transferred to Lahore from Doha via a foreign flight. The representatives of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation received the bodies and handed them over to the heirs. The dead bodies of Arsalan and Abu Bakr were sent to their native town, Nowshera Warkan.

While the bodies of Adnan and Ali Ijaz were dispatched to Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin, respectively. Before this, three dead bodies reached the Lahore Airport on Thursday night. More than 300 Pakistani nationals were killed in the capsizing of an overcrowded fishing trawler off the coast of Greece last month. They wanted to enter Europe illegally. About 750 men, women and children were on the packed boat when it capsized last month, the United Nations Migration Agency (IOM) said, killing hundreds and making the tragedy one of the worst in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson. Every year, tens of thousands of migrants fleeing war, persecution, climate change, and poverty risk treacherous routes to Europe.

Ealier,

Iranian border officials on Saturday deported another 59 Pakistani nationals who had illegally entered in the country,

Pakistan’s border authorities said that citizens deported from Iran have been handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency’s anti-human trafficking cell for investigation.

“The deportees were intending to illegally emigrate to European countries via Iran,” border officials said.

People from Pakistan used to cross into Iran hoping to illegally emigrate to Europe in search of greener pastures.

The issue of illegal immigrants has been highlighted on global level with recent boat sinking incident in Mediterranean Sea near the coast of Greece, in which several Pakistani nationals were reported dead or missing.

At least 78 people were drowned when the ill-fated boat with reportedly 400 to 750 people onboard sank in the Mediterranean Sea near the Greek coast.

Following the incident, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) swung into action and arrested several human traffickers associated with the incident.