Islamabad: Four Pakistani nationals were confirmed dead among a total of 11 casualties from a boat capsizing incident in Libya, as reported by Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
The bodies of the four Pakistanis were recovered off the Harawa shoreline near Sirte, following the overturning of a boat carrying foreign migrants. In response to the tragedy, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his sorrow over the loss of lives and promised stringent action against those responsible for deceiving citizens into making perilous journeys.
In a statement on Wednesday, PM Sharif directed the Pakistan Mission in Tripoli and the Foreign Office to coordinate with local authorities to recover the remains of the deceased Pakistani nationals. He stated, “Deeply saddened by reports from our Mission in Tripoli of yet another boat capsizing incident off the Harawa coast near Sirte city, Eastern Libya, in which at least four Pakistanis have been confirmed dead out of 11 casualties.”
He added, “We are taking strong action against those responsible for luring our citizens into this death trap and will continue to crack down on such elements so that no family has to carry the coffins of their loved ones in these incidents.”
A team from the Pakistani Embassy confirmed the deaths after visiting Sirte. According to the Foreign Office, “A Pakistan Embassy team’s visit to Sirte has confirmed the recovery of 11 bodies of migrants. Of these, four have been identified as Pakistani nationals based on their national documents. Two bodies remain unidentified.”
The deceased Pakistani nationals were identified as Zahid Mahmood from Gujranwala, Punjab, and Sameer Ali, Syed Ali Hussain, and Asif Ali from Mandi Bahaudin, also in Punjab.
The embassy in Tripoli is actively seeking more information about the affected nationals and coordinating with local authorities. The Crisis Management Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been activated to monitor the situation.
This latest tragedy adds to the series of migrant boat disasters involving Pakistani nationals, highlighting the risks many face while seeking illegal routes to reach Europe. Earlier incidents included a boat capsizing on February 11, which left at least 16 Pakistanis dead and many more missing, and another in January that resulted in the deaths of over 40 Pakistanis.
Following these incidents, the Pakistani government has taken serious action against human smugglers. PM Sharif has ordered stringent measures against those involved in facilitating illegal migration. Furthermore, 35 personnel from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were suspended for complicity in human smuggling, leading to the dismissal of the FIA’s then Director General.
Religious scholars have also issued a decree declaring the use of illegal means to emigrate as unlawful and contrary to Islamic Shariah. Despite the dire risks, many Pakistanis continue to pursue illegal methods to seek opportunities abroad, often falling victim to human traffickers who charge exorbitant fees for their services.