PM Shehbaz constitutes 4-member committee to probe Morocco boat capsize incident

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a committee for the top-level investigation of the ship capsize incident in Morocco waters, which has resulted in the deaths of 44 people. Meanwhile, 10 bodies have been recovered, and at least 19 others have survived, according to media reports."

A high-ranking government team will be dispatched to Morocco today (Saturday) to investigate the incident and ascertain the loss of Pakistanis in migrant boat tragedy that occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco. 

Sources stated that PM Shehbaz decided to send the team led by Additional Secretary for Interior Affairs Salman Chaudhary, consisting of FIA Punjab Additional Director (north) Muneer Maarth and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Bureau. 

They added that officials would visit the Moroccan capitals of Rabat and Dakhla, where they would compile a detailed report by collecting facts and figures, which would be submitted to the prime minister.

Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also initiated a probe against the culprits involved in sending the migrants to Morocco illegally.

The cases have been registered against suspects from Gujrat and Sialkot on the complaint of Shabnam Arfan, a residence of Budha Gorya village of Daska tehsil of Sialkot, accusing suspect, Aghar Sindhi, of sending her and husband Arfan, brother, Muhammad Arsalan, and one of their friend Rana Usama to Europe by the ill-fated ship.

The heirs of the victims also revealed that the agent demanded Rs4 million from each individual to facilitate their travel to Europe, promising to send them to Spain by air.

However, the victims had gone to Ethiopia from Faisalabad airport via Dubai on September 24. The complainant stated they were taken to Senegal and Mauritania from Ethiopia, where the agents dispatched them on the ship. 

She stated that the agent told her that her husband, brother, and their friend had reached Spain, but when she asked the agent to arrange the call with them, neither did he arrange the call nor remained in contact.

However, the sources claimed that only two of the 28, belonging to Gujrat, were rescued and survived while others were thought to be missing or dead.