The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement announcing that 22 Pakistani who survived a migrant ship that overturned near Morocco will be repatriated.
The FO said on January 16 that the boat, which transported 80 passengers, flew near Morocco, with more than 40 Pakistani among the dead.
The Walking Borders migrant rights group said that up to 50 migrants may have drowned in the last fatal accident that involves people who try to make the crossing from West Africa to the Canary Islands of Spain.
Last Saturday, a high -ranking government team was sent to Morocco by order of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to evaluate the situation. The team conducted detailed interviews with the 21 survivors in the Moroccan city of Dakhla, as well as meetings with officials from the Pakistani embassy in Rabat.
According to the FO statement issued today, arrangements are being made for the repatriation of 22 Pakistani survivors who stay in Dakhla.
“After exhaustive investigations and careful coordination with the Moroccan authorities, these people will be returned to Pakistan in lots,” reads the statement.
The FO added that the Embassy in Rabat has been working closely with the Moroccan authorities and that the consular team in Dakhla was “instrumental” in planning the survivors’ return.
“The Crisis Management Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (CMU) has actively participated in the monitoring of the situation, providing the necessary support for affected people and maintaining active communication with their families,” FO added.
“The verification of national identity remained a critical component of this process that was quickly completed in coordination with the Ministry of Interior and the relevant departments.”
The statement added that the FO is facilitating the repatriation of 11 Pakistani of Mauritania through a separate process, adding that “they have voluntarily chosen to return home.”
