ISLAMABAD – The government of Pakistan is sending delegation to Morocco to investigate Migrant Boat Tragedy and Loss of Life.
Days after the tragic incident, a high-level team comprising senior officials are set to leave for North African nation today to investigate the tragic migrant boat incident that claimed the lives of scores of Pakistanis.
At least 44 Pakistanis trying to reach Europe via ill-fated vessel drowned from alleged abuse at sea, with 10 bodies recovered so far. At least 19 survivors have been reported. Remains of those victims and survivors are located in Moroccan town, waiting to return to the country.
As the incident sent shockwaves across the nation, the government authorized deployment of delegation to Morocco, which will include senior officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Intelligence Bureau. The team members will access the situation and will compile a detailed report for submission to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
In a similar update, Federal Invesstigators registered cases against human traffickers involved in the illegal smuggling of the migrants. The cases were filed against suspects from Gujrat and Sialkot districts.
The victim family members mentioned being recruited by a local agent, Asghar Sindhi, and his accomplice, Rana Usama, for a promised job opportunity in Europe. The agent charged them Rs40lac each, but instead of sending them to Spain as promised, they were routed through Ethiopia, Senegal, and Mauritania.
The Morocco incident was latest in series of these heart-wrenching boat capsize incidents in which migrants and refugees from Pakistan lost their lives at sea.
