FIA in action as govt responds to boat tragedy

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ISLAMABAD:

As a high-ranking official team will leave Morocco to assess the situation and ascertain the loss of Pakistani lives in the Atlantic Ocean migrant boat tragedy, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday issued instructions for coordination of the government's response.

As per media reports, 44 out of a total of 65 Pakistani immigrants on board the ship either drowned or died after alleged torture, while 10 bodies have been recovered in the incident which occurred in the waters between Mauritania and Morocco.

At least 19 others survived, according to media reports. The survivors and the bodies are currently in Dakhla, a small town near the coast of Morocco.

The deputy prime minister asked the ministries of foreign affairs and interior to ensure the provision of efficient and timely assistance to the Pakistani victims of the Moroccan boat tragedy.

The deputy foreign minister chaired a meeting on issues relating to the 3rd-country relocations of Afghan nationals, a press release said. The meeting also reviewed in detail the boat tragedy off the coast of Morocco leading to several deaths.

The secretaries of the ministries of foreign affairs, interior and other officials attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, the FIA has registered three cases against suspects involved in sending the intending immigrants abroad illegally. The cases have been lodged against the human traffickers of Gujrat and Sialkot districts with the FIA crime circles in Gujranwala and Gujrat.

Moreover, the FIA kicked off a probe against 20 officials, who allegedly cleared the travel documents of the victims at three major airports.

The victims also belong to Sialkot and Mandi Bahauddin districts of the region.

In a statement on Saturday, an FIA spokesperson said that the agency initiated a probe against its 20 officials over their alleged involvement in human smuggling. It added that the officials had allegedly cleared the victims of the ill-fated boat at airports.

The suspected FIA officials include eight from Faisalabad airport and six each from Karachi and Lahore airports. The agency also revealed that Mauritania was the "third and new route" for human smuggling after Turkey and Libya.

In an another development, the FIA arrested two human smugglers, including a woman and her son from Gujrat, whereas, another suspected trafficker was taken into custody from Azad Jammu and Kashmir's Bhimber area.