Pakistani Citizen Drowned: More than 40 Pakistanis are feared drowned after a boat capsized near the Atlantic coast of West Africa. Migrants going to Europe use this route. This information was given by news agency AP on Friday (January 17, 2025).
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the case and stressed the need to take strict measures to curb human trafficking. This comment of Zardari late on Thursday (January 16, 2025) night came after the statement given by Spain’s migrant rights group Walking Borders. The statement said that 50 people died while en route to the Canary Islands and 44 of them were Pakistanis. These migrants started their journey on 2 January.
Pakistani PM also expressed grief
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also expressed grief over the deaths. Pakistan said that it received information from its embassy in Morocco that a boat carrying 80 passengers had left from Mauritania. Some Pakistanis were also involved in this. The boat capsized near the Moroccan-controlled port city of Dakhla in the disputed Western Sahara. Almost all the Pakistanis on board the boat were from cities of eastern Punjab province. Officials said that relatives are gathering at the homes of the victims. Some survivors are now in contact with their families.
Human smugglers were sent to Europe by paying lakhs of rupees
A family in Daska, Punjab told that they sold their property and gave lakhs of rupees to human traffickers because they wanted to send their children to Europe in search of good jobs. The mother of a man on board the boat said she had heard from relatives of some survivors that her son was alive, but could not be contacted. Razia Bibi urged the authorities to locate her son and bring him back.
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