Muzzafrabad: On Sunday, Pakistani authorities detained 10 alleged human traffickers, days after it was thought that hundreds of migrants had perished in the Mediterranean Sea. Each year, thousands of young Pakistanis risk their lives by travelling to Europe illegally in an effort to find a better life.

According to local media, up to 300 Pakistanis perished on Wednesday when a rusty trawler sank close to Greece's Peloponnese peninsula.
According to officials, nine people have been detained in Gujrat, a city that has long been used as a stepping stone for migrants, and one in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where the majority of the victims were found.

A local representative from Kashmir that is administered by Pakistan said, "They are currently being investigated for their role in facilitating the entire process."

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In a joint statement, the UN Refugee Agency and International Organisation for Migration estimated that there were 400–750 people on the boat.

On Saturday, the Pakistani ministry of foreign affairs reported that 12 citizens had survived, but it was unsure of the exact number of people in the boat.
Under the condition of anonymity, an immigration official told AFP that the number may exceed 200.

The Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered a swift crackdown on agents involved in people smuggling and declared Monday a National Day of Mourning, pledging that they will be "severely punished" for their actions.

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"The Prime Minister has given a firm directive to intensify efforts in combating individuals involved in the heinous crime of human trafficking," his office stated in a statement.

Tens of thousands of Pakistanis leave the country both legally and illegally as a result of political unrest and a collapsing economy.

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Young men frequently travel to Europe via Iran, Libya, Turkey, and Greece, mostly from the eastern Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.