Tragedy in Libya: PM Expresses Grief Over Pakistani Nationals’ Death in Boat Capsizing

  • PM saddened by reports of another boat capsizing.
  • Authorities are working to retrieve the remains of the deceased, says Premier.
  • “We will continue to come down hard against such elements.”

ISLAMABAD: Following the death of four Pakistani citizens in a boat accident in Libya, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his sorrow on Wednesday and reaffirmed his government’s resolve to take strong action against human traffickers.

According to the Foreign Office (FO), a ship carrying foreign people sank off the coast of Harawa, Sirte, in eastern Libya on Monday, and four Pakistani citizens were among the eleven bodies that were recovered.

The prime minister stated on his X timeline that he was deeply saddened by reports from the Mission in Tripoli of yet another boat capsizing incident off the Harawa coast near Sirte City, Eastern Libya, in which at least four Pakistanis were confirmed dead out of 11 casualties.

He stated that Pakistan’s Mission in Tripoli and the FO were collaborating with local authorities to recover the deceased’s remains.

He restated that while strong measures are being taken against those who entice citizens into this death trap, they will continue to come down hard on such individuals to prevent families from having to bear the coffins of their loved ones in similar incidents.

The foreign ministry stated earlier that it had established a Crisis Management Unit to monitor the situation. People can contact 051-9207887 and [email protected] for assistance and information.

Persistent Fatal Sinkings

The most recent incident adds to the growing number of migrant boat tragedies that have resulted in the loss of lives, with scores of Pakistanis drowning in numerous incidents in recent months.

On February 11, it was verified that at least 16 Pakistanis had died and 10 more were still missing after a boat carrying illegal migrants was involved in a fatal accident in the same seas off the coast of Libya.

Earlier in January, more than 40 Pakistanis died after a boat carrying illegal migrants from Mauritania, an African country, to Spain capsized.

On January 2, the ill-fated boat left Mauritania carrying 86 migrants. According to Moroccan authorities, 66 of the passengers were Pakistani nationals, and 36 people were saved following the tragedy.

Prior to that, more than 80 Pakistanis drowned when boats carrying them capsized close to Greece on the nights of December 13 and 14, 2024.

Despite the dangers, illegal migration is still enticing people to spend a fortune to pay human traffickers to get to Europe because of socio-economic disparity and the attraction of a better lifestyle overseas.

The PM Shehbaz-led government has mandated harsh measures against smugglers and officials who help them in this inhumane practice.

Since then, 35 Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials have been fired, and the top post has been changed after Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir, the former director general, was fired due to the allegedly slow speed of investigations into the boat capsizing incidents and widespread illegal migration.

Apart from government initiatives, Lahore’s Jamia Naeemia has declared a religious edict against using illegal methods to travel from Pakistan.

According to the religious decree issued by Dr. Mufti Raghib Hussain Naeemi and Mufti Imran Hanfi, using illegal ways to travel abroad is not only forbidden but also violates Shariah law.