FM Dar directs efficient, timely assistance to Pakistani victims of Moroccan boat tragedy

Published January 18, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar chairs a meeting on Saturday. — APP
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar chairs a meeting on Saturday. — APP

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday directed the foreign and interior ministries to ensure the provision of efficient and timely assistance to the Pakistani victims of the Moroccan boat tragedy.

The Atlantic Ocean mig­rant boat tragedy occurred in the waters bet­ween Mauri­tania and Moro­cco earlier this month. As per 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. 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.

FM Dar reviewed the incident in detail while chairing a meeting today on issues relating to third-country relocations of Afghan nationals. He also issued instructions regarding coordination of the government’s response to the incident.

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

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to send an official team to Moro­cco, sources had told Dawn, adding that the team comprised Federal Investi­gation Age­ncy (FIA) Addi­tional Dire­ctor General (north) Mun­eer Maarth, Additional Secretary Int­erior Salman Chau­dhary and representatives from the foreign ministry and Intelligence Bureau.

They said the officials would visit the Moroccan capital of Rabat and Dakhla, where they would assess the situation and compile a detailed report, which would be submitted to the prime minister.

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

The victims also belonged to the Sialkot and Mandi Bahauddin districts.

Opinion

Editorial

Following through
Updated 09 Apr, 2025

Following through

Reconciliation, development, and deradicalisation initiatives cannot remain dormant words in a policy document.
Robe rebellion
09 Apr, 2025

Robe rebellion

THE unrest within the Islamabad High Court shows no sign of abating, and it is perhaps just as well that the ...
Fearing birth
09 Apr, 2025

Fearing birth

AMID dramatic aid cuts, the WHO has sounded the alarm about the dangers to Pakistan’s mothers and newborns, asking...
Meltdown
08 Apr, 2025

Meltdown

A full-blown trade war is upon us as the era of the rules-based, multilateral trading order is nearly over.
Settling differences
Updated 08 Apr, 2025

Settling differences

Unless there is a broad agreement on the path forward, the country will remain trapped in a cycle of recurring instability.
Glacial ingenuity
08 Apr, 2025

Glacial ingenuity

NECESSITY is indeed the mother of invention, as witnessed in Gilgit-Baltistan. In these areas, where climate change...