- 37 Pakistanis survived boat capsizing incident in Libya.
- FO lists details of dead bodies based on Pakistani passports.
- All illegal migrants hail from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) confirmed on Tuesday that at least 16 Pakistanis were among the dead after a boat carrying illegal migrants sank near the coast of Libya while 10 are still unaccounted for.
The Foreign Office (FO), in a statement, said that a team from the Embassy of Pakistan in Tripoli visited Zawiya city and after meeting local officials and the Zawiya hospital administration, gathered information.
“According to unconfirmed reports there were 63 Pakistanis on the boat and so far 16 bodies have been recovered and their Pakistani nationalities established based on their passports,” it said.
“There are 37 survivors including one in hospital and 33 in police custody. Reportedly, around 10 Pakistanis are missing in the accident. Three of the survivors are in Tripoli and being looked after by the Embassy,” the statement added.
The FO also listed details of the dead bodies so far identified as Pakistani nationals, with all of them hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“The Embassy in Tripoli is in the process of gathering further information and maintaining contact with the local authorities,” it concluded.
The confirmation comes a day after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said a vessel carrying around 65 passengers capsized near the port of Marsa Dela, northwest of Zawiya City, Libya.
The Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli, as per the ministry, dispatched a team to Zawiya Hospital to assist the local authorities in the identification of the deceased, the ministry said.
It also revealed that the Crisis Management Unit (CMU) was activated to monitor the situation with people advised to contact at 051-9207887 helpline.
Meanwhile, the relevant officials in Tripoli can be contacted on 03052185882 (WhatsApp), +218913870577 (cellphone) and +218 91-6425435(WhatsApp).
Terming the incident “deeply concerning,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a statement on Tuesday, said: “I have directed the Foreign Office and our Mission in Libya to ascertain facts at the earliest and keep the nation fully informed”.
The premier also assured that action will be taken against those involved in the heinous act of human trafficking, adding that no negligence of any kind would be tolerated in this regard.
‘Rising incidents’
The latest incident adds to the list of migrant boat tragedies resulting in the loss of precious lives, with dozens of Pakistanis drowning in multiple incidents in recent months.
In January, more than 40 Pakistanis were killed after a boat carrying irregular migrants from the African nation of Mauritania to Spain capsized.
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.
Before that, more than 80 Pakistanis drowned after boats carrying them capsized near Greece on the night between December 13 and 14, 2024.
Driven by socio-economic disparity and the allure of a better lifestyle abroad, illegal migration, despite its risks, continues to draw people to spend a fortune in paying human traffickers to reach Europe.
PM Shehbaz-led government has ordered strict action against smugglers as well as officials involved in facilitating them in this cruel practice.
Since then, as many as 35 Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials have been dismissed along with a change in the top post after now-former director general Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir was removed from his office over the reportedly slow pace of investigations in the boat capsizing incidents and large scale illegal migration.
Apart from the government measures, Lahore’s Jamia Naeemia has also issued a religious edict against the use of illegal means to travel abroad from Pakistan.
The religious decree, issued by Dr Mufti Raghib Hussain Naeemi and Mufti Imran Hanfi, said that using illegal means to go abroad is not only unlawful but also violates Shariah.
