ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to conduct a high-level investigation into tragic boat accident in Morocco which resulted in the deaths of 44 Pakistanis.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a special committee to oversee the inquiry, sources told Geo News on Saturday.
The incident occurred on Thursday when 50 migrants were killed when a boat carrying illegal migrants from the African nation of Mauritania to Spain capsized.
Although, as many as 36 Pakistani citizens were rescued, the rest still remain missing which, as per a report from the Pakistani Embassy, should be presumed dead.
The ill-fated boat departed from Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants on board. Moroccan authorities reported that 66 of the passengers were Pakistani nationals and noted that it had rescued 36 people after the accident.
The development comes against the backdrop of another similar incident where more than 80 Pakistanis drowned after boats carrying them capsized near Greece on the night between December 13 and 14, 2024.
The Greek-boat tragedy prompted strong reaction from the government with PM Shehbaz directing the authorities to take strict action against those involved in human smuggling.
Since then, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has carried out mass arrests and operations against the human smuggling mafia and its officials involved in facilitating them.
A total of 185 human traffickers and agents were arrested in the last month, said an FIA spokesperson, adding that 38 most-wanted traffickers, listed in the FIA’s Red Book were apprehended as well as 16 agents involved in the 2024 Greek-boat tragedy, The News reported.
Separately, FIA Director General Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir has dismissed 35 officials for facilitating the human smuggling mafia in illegal migration and failing to uphold their duties.
According to sources within the FIA, a four-member investigative team is set to depart for Morocco tonight to probe the latest boat-capsizing incident.
The team will be led by Additional Secretary for Interior Salman Chaudhry, with Additional Director North FIA Punjab Munir Masood Marth also part of the delegation.
Additionally, the team will include one officer each from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Intelligence Bureau (IB). The investigators are expected to stay in Morocco for three to four days.
While in Morocco, the team will meet with survivors of the boat tragedy, investigate claims of violence and killings involving Pakistani nationals, and gather crucial evidence.
Meanwhile, according to an FIA report, 20 people travelled to Senegal and Saudi Arabia from Karachi Lahore and Faisalabad airports between May and September 2024.
Out of those who went to the African country from Faisalabad, seven had visitors’ visas whereas one possessed a temporary resident visa.
Investigation revealed that six people had travelled via Ethiopian Airlines on visit and tourist visas to Senegal from Karachi.
Furthermore, two people from Lahore, who were on Umrah visas, went to Saudi Arabia on September 18.
The FIA report says that nine people hailed from Gujrat of which five were rescued while four perished in the unfortunate incident.
Three Mandi Bahauddin residents survived the boat capsizing whereas three others did not make it.
One person hailing from Gujranwala also died, meanwhile, three people from Sheikhupura and one from Sialkot were rescued.
