ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to conduct a high-level investigation into the tragic boat accident in Morocco.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a special committee to oversee the inquiry, sources said on Saturday.
The incident occurred on Thursday when a boat carrying irregular migrants from the African nation of Mauritania to Spain capsized. 50 migrants, including 44 Pakistanis, lost their lives.
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.
