Morocco boat tragedy: Committee formed by PM initiates investigation

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to conduct a high-level investigation into the recent boat capsizing tragedy in Morocco as a four-member investigative team will depart for the North American country to look into the matter, ARY News reported.

The team will be headed by Additional Secretary Interior Salman Chaudhry, with Additional Director FIA Punjab North Munir Masood also part of the team. Representatives from the Foreign Office and Intelligence Bureau (IB) will also accompany the team.

During their three to four days stay in Morocco, the investigative team will meet with Pakistani survivors of the boat capsizing tragedy and will also investigate allegations of violence and murder against Pakistani citizens.

The move comes after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a committee to investigate the incident, which resulted in the loss of several Pakistanis.

Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan confirmed the incident of Pakistani migrants’ boat capsizing off Moroccan coast.

The Foreign Office said on Thursday that a boat carrying 80 passengers, including several Pakistani nationals, setting off from Mauritania, has capsized near the Moroccan port of Dakhla.

MoFA said in a press release that the Pakistan Embassy in Rabat (Morocco) has informed that several survivors, including Pakistanis, are lodged in a camp near Dakhla.

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“Our Embassy in Rabat is in touch with local authorities. Additionally, a team from the Embassy has been dispatched to Dakhla to facilitate the Pakistani nationals and provide necessary assistance,” the statement said.

Migrant rights group Walking Borders said on Thursday that 44 of those presumed to have drowned were from Pakistan.

“They spent 13 days of anguish on the crossing without anyone coming to rescue them,” Walking Borders CEO Helena Maleno said on X.

Asked about what warnings it had received from NGOs regarding a missing boat, Spain’s maritime rescue service said it had learned on Jan. 10 about a vessel that had left Nouakchott in Mauritania and was experiencing problems but it could not confirm if it was the same boat.