4 Pakistanis among 11 dead in Libya boat capsize incident

Islamabad, April 16 (IANS) Four Pakistanis were among the 11 dead in a Libya boat capsize incident, Pakistan’s Foreign Office confirmed.

The bodies of at least four Pakistani nationals were among the 11 recovered off the Harawa shoreline near Sirte in eastern Libya after a boat carrying foreign migrants overturned.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives, vowing to take strict action against those responsible for luring citizens into the death traps.

PM Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Pakistan Mission in Tripoli and the Foreign Office to work with the local authorities to retrieve the remains of the deceased Pakistani nationals.

“Deeply saddened by reports from our Mission in Tripoli of yet another boat capsizing incident off the Harawa coast near Sirte city, Eastern Libya, in which at least four Pakistanis have been confirmed dead out of 11 casualties.

“Our Mission and the Foreign Office are working with the local authorities to retrieve the remains of the deceased”, he said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We are taking strong action against those responsible for luring our citizens into this death trap and we will continue to come down hard against such elements so no family has to carry the coffins of their loved ones in such incidents”, he added.

Pakistan Embassy’s team confirmed the deaths of Pakistani nationals after visiting Sirte city.

“A Pakistan Embassy team’s visit to Sirte has confirmed the recovery of 11 bodies of migrants. Of these, four have been identified as Pakistani nationals base on their national documents. Two bodies remain unidentified”, stated the Pakistan Foreign Office.

The four deceased Pakistani nationals have been identified as Zahid Mahmood from Gujranwala, Punjab, while Sameer Ali, Syed Ali Hussain and Asif Ali hail from Mandi Bahaudin in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

“The Embassy in Tripoli is actively working to gather more information about the affected Pakistani nationals and is in contact with the local authorities.

“The Crisis Management Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been activated to monitor the situation”, stated the Pakistan Foreign Office.

The latest tragic incident adds to the list of several migrant boat tragedies, where lives were lost and dozens of Pakistani nationals were identified opting for illegal means and routes to reach European countries.

On February 11 this year, a boat carrying illegal migrants overturned in the waters off the Libyan coast, killing at least 16 Pakistanis among others while 10 others remained missing.

In January this year, over 40 Pakistani nationals were killed after a boat carrying illegal migrants from Mauritania to Spain capsized.

Moreover, on December 13 and 14 in 2024, more than 80 Pakistani nationals drowned after their boats capsized near Greece.

The Pakistani government took serious notice of the incidents and ordered strict action and a crackdown against elements within the government quarters and outside.

PM Sharif ordered strict action against human smugglers and others involved in sending illegal migrants to other countries.

During the investigation into the incidents, at least 35 personnel of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) found guilty of facilitating human smuggling at the airports, were suspended, along with dismissal of then sitting Director General of FIA.

Religious scholars also issued a decree, terming use of illegal means to go abroad as unlawful and in violation of the Islamic Shariah.

Despite the risk of loss of lives, many Pakistanis continue to pursue illegal means to go abroad. These illegal migrants pay hefty amounts to the human traffickers, who use illegal means to transfer them to Europe.

--IANS

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