Morocco boat tragedy: Seven Pakistani survivors repatriated

ISLAMABAD: Seven Pakistani survivors of the Morocco boat tragedy have been repatriated to the country, ARY News reported.

The survivors included Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Abbas, Mudassar Hussain, Imran Iqbal, Uzair Basharat, Shoaib Zafar and Aamir Ali, who hail from various cities of Gujarat, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin and Gujranwala.

Federal Investigation Agency’s Immigration cell took all the individuals into custody at Islamabad Airport and transferred them to the circle for questioning, where an investigation officer recorded their statements.

The individuals while narrating their ordeal, confirmed that human traffickers brutally tortured them. They also provided details about the traffickers and agents involved in sending them abroad, leading the FIA to expand its investigation.

Preliminary findings suggest that the migrants attempted to cross into Senegal illegally via Spain, paying agents between Rs1.6 million to Rs2.5 million per person.

Earlier, a four-member Pakistani investigative committee in Morocco recorded the statements of the Pakistani nationals who survived the Morocco boat tragedy.

In their statement, the Pakistani nationals termed the incident a ‘mass killing,’ claiming that the human traffickers stopped the journey in open waters and demanded ransoms from those onboard.

According to survivors, as many as 21 Pakistani nationals were allowed to leave in the boat after they paid the ransom to the human traffickers.

The Pakistani nationals alleged that most of the victims lost their lives due to severe cold and torture while the boat also lacked sufficient stocks of food supplies and drinking water.

Sources said that the boat was operated by the international human trafficking racket which includes traffickers from Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco.