ISLAMABAD – The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has confirmed the death of seven Pakistani citizens in recent Libya boat incident as operation is underway to recover remaining bodies.
Among the 16 people who lost their lives in the, seven were identified as Pakistanis through their passports. The FIA stated that these seven Pakistani victims were residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with six hailing from Kurram and one from Bajaur.
On the other hand, Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Senate Standing Committee of the Foreign Affairs that of the 73 individuals on board the boat, 63 were Pakistani nationals, adding that most of them have died.
The incident occurred on February 8, and it was confirmed that only two Pakistanis survived the tragedy. The survivors told officials that there were 63 Pakistanis and 10 Bangladeshis on the boat. The majority of those who perished were from Kurram and Bajaur tribal districts.
During the briefing, the chairman of the Committee inquired about the investigations being carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the increasing number of boat accidents.
The secretary said the government has strengthened its cooperation with Interpol to catch the human trafficking groups
It is recalled that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also established a task force to prevent such incidents.
A day earlier, Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli informed Foreign Office that a vessel carrying approximately 65 passengers capsized near the port of Marsa Dela, North West of Zawiya city, Libya.
The Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli immediately dispatched a team to Zawiya hospital to assist the local authorities in identification of the deceased. The Embassy is also trying to ascertain further details of the Pakistani affectees.
