Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday directed the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs to ensure provision of efficient and timely assistance to the Pakistani victims of the Moroccan ship tragedy.
The Atlantic Ocean migrant boat tragedy occurred in waters between Mauritania and Morocco earlier this month. 44 of a total of 65 Pakistani migrants on board the ship reportedly drowned or died following alleged torture, while 10 bodies have been recovered. At least 19 other people survived, according to media reports.
The survivors and bodies are currently located in Dakhla, a small city near the coast of Morocco.
Foreign Minister Dar reviewed the incident in detail while chairing a meeting today on issues related to the relocation of Afghan nationals to third countries. It also issued instructions on coordinating the government’s response to the incident.
The meeting was attended by the secretaries of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Interior and other officials.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to send an official team to Morocco, sources said SunriseThe team consisted of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Additional Director General (North) Muneer Maarth, Additional Secretary Home Salman Chaudhary and representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Intelligence Bureau.
They said officials would visit the Moroccan capital, Rabat, and Dakhla, where they would assess the situation and compile a detailed report, which would be presented to the prime minister.
Meanwhile, the FIA registered three cases against suspects involved in illegally sending migrants abroad. The cases were filed against the human traffickers from Gujrat and Sialkot districts before the FIA crime circles in Gujranwala and Gujrat.
The victims also belonged to Sialkot and Mandi Bahauddin districts.
