Over 20 Pakistani survivors of Morocco boat tragedy identified

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ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a list of 21 Pakistani nationals who survived a boat accident near Dakhla, Morocco, saying that verified data was used to identify the survivors. .

The Pakistanis who survived the incident include Mudassar Hussain, Waseem Khalid, Muhammad Khaliq, Abdul Ghaffar, Gul Shamir, Tanveer Ahmed, Syed Muhammad Abbas Kazmi, Ghulam Mustafa, Syed Badr Mohiuddin, Imran Iqbal, Shoaib Zafar, Ali Hassan and Syed. are Mehtab-ul-Hasan, Uzair Basharat, Muhammad Asif, Mujahid Ali, Ameer Ali, Muhammad Umar Farooqi, Bilawal Iqbal, Arsalan and Irfan Ahmed according to the ministry.

The tragic incident took place on January 16 when a boat carrying illegal immigrants from the African country of Mauritania to Spain capsized. 50 migrants including 44 Pakistanis lost their lives in this accident.

Although, 36 Pakistani nationals were rescued, the rest are still missing and should be presumed dead, according to a report by the Pakistani embassy.

The ill-fated boat left Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants on board. Moroccan officials said 66 of the passengers were Pakistani nationals and said it had rescued 36 people after the crash.

This development came in the backdrop of another similar incident where more than 80 Pakistanis drowned after their boats capsized near Greece on the intervening night of December 13 and 14, 2024.

The Greek boat tragedy drew a strong response from the government and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the authorities to take strict action against people involved in human trafficking.

Since then the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has made massive arrests and operations against the human trafficking mafia and their facilitators.

A total of 185 human traffickers and agents were arrested during the past month, an FIA spokesman said, adding that 38 of the most wanted smugglers listed in the FIA’s Red Book, as well as the 2024 Greek yacht, were arrested. 16 agents involved in the tragedy were also arrested. News reported earlier.

In addition, FIA Director General Ahmed Ishaq Jahangir has dismissed 35 officials for facilitating illegal migration to the human trafficking mafia and failing to perform duties.

Meanwhile, according to the FIA ​​report, 20 people traveled to Senegal and Saudi Arabia from Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad airports between May and September 2024.

Seven of those who went to African countries from Faisalabad were on visitor visas while one was on temporary resident visas.

Investigation revealed that six persons had traveled from Karachi on visit and tourist visas to Senegal via Ethiopian Airlines.

Additionally, two persons from Lahore who were on Umrah visa went to Saudi Arabia on September 18.

The FIA ​​report said that 9 people belonged to Gujarat, out of which 5 were rescued while 4 died in the tragic incident.

Three residents of Mandi Bahauddin survived the overturning of the boat while three others did not.

One person from Gujranwala also died, while three from Sheikhupura and one from Sialkot were rescued.

‘Coordination, Relief Operations’

In a statement today, the Foreign Office said that immediate assistance has been mobilized for the affected citizens through the diplomatic mission in the Moroccan city of Rabat.

“The embassy has arranged essential supplies including food, water, medicine and clothing. Local authorities in Dikhla are providing shelter and medical care in response to our diplomatic outreach,” he said.

The consular team of the embassy was currently in Dakhla to monitor the relief operations and coordinate with the local authorities, the FO said, adding that the government is in close contact with the relevant authorities in Morocco to ensure that our affected citizens Comprehensive assistance can be ensured and repatriation procedures can be finalized.

“We are committed to protecting the welfare of overseas Pakistanis and will continue to monitor the situation closely,” it said.