GUJRAT: The bodies of at least four victims of Libya migrant boat tragedy were brought to their native areas in Gujrat as five of the victims have been identified as residents of the city, including a policeman, who were travelling to Italy as illegal immigrants through human traffickers.

The four victims were identified as Mohammad Ali, 22, Mohammad Awais, 23, former constable Mohammad Tauqeer and Ansar Farooq, 37.

They were buried in the graveyards of their respective areas after funeral prayers which were attended by a large number of people.

The body of another victim is yet to arrive.

The bodies were brought back two weeks after the incident. The victims were initially sent to Dubai from where they were dispatched to Italy via Libya on a boat which capsized in the sea, causing several deaths. Some of them were rescued by Italian authorities.

Meanwhile, FIA Gujrat Assistant Director Ghulam Sarwar Warraich told Dawn that the agency had booked at least five human traffickers on charges of taking Rs9.4 million and sending these victims abroad illegally. Three of them have been arrested while two are abroad, he added.

The case was registered on the complaint of the father of one of the victims.

A large number of expatriate Pakistanis belong to Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin districts and there has been a trend in the local youth to travel towards Europe for greener pastures through illegal means.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2023